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But on a more serious note:

Travelling through Kruger in the past 2 months I have found a few disconcerting happenings.

1)The restaurants, (Tree) has no conformity concerning standards. Service levels are lacking in most, with Mopani Camp doing well, and Satara being poor.
2)I found overall standards in the camp good, even with the renovations, and I hope they are finished before the December rush, with Mopani, yet again standing out from the rest for the large camps.
3)Satara Management, especially Gordon, fantastic.
4)Balule, GREAT SERVICE!!!!
5)Pretoriuskop Reception, VERY Professional.
6)The Parks Shop: Ouch, No conformity on prices, quality, and the staff needs a lesson in manners, guys, some of us whities understand Shangaan/Swazi/...... and to make lewed, racist comments is really bad, especially Satara and Skukuza, you are disgusting behind the tills and a report has been sent to you HQ. Pretoriuskop and Letaba, you guys are great. The rest, well, at least you man the tills.

Then from a non-SANParks related view:

I find the Tour Agents sending peeps to Kruger a lousy lot. I had a young couple standing at reception at Olifants in front of me. Paying up front for the camping, but the agents never informed them of the Conservation Levy. Poor couple had to fork out 1600 rand that they did not have. And those guys that have Luxury tours in their company name, driving around tourists wiith a beat up old Hilux, with wooden seats, you guys give SA a bad name, shame on you.

Thanks guys and girls, sitting next to the fence at Letaba camp, will post some more pics tomorrow night. Windy, but maybe only rain tomorrow. Woodland KF's are sounding everywhere, Raptors are fantastic, ellies are all there. Predators are scarce due to the vegetation, but I have seen them. Tomorrow???? the south with a bird........

Just back from an amazing weekend with Scipio. 7 lion sightings, the most beautiful sunset pics ever, 2 kills, a night hunt involving lions, buffs and homosapiens all on foot... wow

From the time I got the call on Friday evening to join Scips, everything went in super speed. I took my camera, but left the batteries in my charger at home And instead of taking his camera/laptop cable, I took mine...

As soon as he is back home later this week, we'll post some pics

Just some random pics, courtesy of LO, as she was the official pic taker for a while.

Buffalo Fighting


More babies


And yet more babies.


Some Vulture, not a bad pic taken by a 8year old.


And some more babies.

Then some great sunsets.




Some cats:



A Boomslang having a tough time in camp.


And another Kill:

Oh, and I forgot this chap, lazing in the shade.

Day 1

As promised, a more constructive format, although I like some random pics, some of the pics you may have seen already, sorry.

It started with a mail many years ago: Hi Scips, could you help these peeps to work out an iteniary for Kruger? Cool, I thought, some free time in Kruger, not realizing the logistical nightmare awaiting for the first group. Make sure 45 peeps are happy in Kruger, they see all, hear all, eat all that there is to offer, and don’t loose one to wild animals.

4 Years later, I got 2,5 months in Kruger:
A few things came to mind: Are we going to have rain? Will we see everything that the peeps want to see? Will the food be good enough? It is right in the time of the changing seasons, so will we be too late for the sharks, and to early for the whales, too late for the Lilac breasted and to early for the European?

So I left for a scouting trip, a few days to get the feel:

The birds were good up north, but Game viewing was slow, it was as if Nature was waiting for something to happen.





Unfortunately, as we got home, we had some unwanted visitors of the female kind, PetraJ had some damage to her Golf and my house was ransacked .

Day2

At least today I have the LO with, Petra got the Golf’s tyres fixed and I cleaned up the mess. A scouting trip that turned into fun.

Early morning the mercury was pushing well past 30 degrees, humidity was high. The ellies came for some cooling in the mud:


This old guy was half asleep:


Suddenly, it turned dark, we were on the Low Maintenance roads, It was some time before 16:00 Hours. Everything seemed to come to a standstill.




Then it rained, and in buckets, we stood under a great old figtree during the storm. But after it passed, God showed us his promise again. This photo was not even planned, and when I downloaded it I only saw that my LO, Danni caught the colors from heaven, I cried, and I knew she will be OK in the difficult months ahead. When things get tough, I just look at this picture and believe.



The first Leopard Tortoise showed his face.


And a flashflood behind Masorini, I was greatfull we had the Jeep then although the LO was enjoying the adventure and laughing all the way.


And back at Sable, the mud puddle the ellies played in looked different


More later and from this rain the sightings heated up to a burning point.

Day3 and on:
After spending some time with a group that phoned me on the toilet if I stay too long, it was a few days off time. Out to Phalagat, fetch LO, and off to Balule, camping with PetraJ.

In the time with the group from hell I slipped away for a few hours and found this chap, nice tusks.



As we re-entered Kruger, we drove around Masorini and found this ellie half way up the Koppie, a real mountaingoat.


Some more elephants:



After a swim at Satara, we found the Scopsie and LO found her fave animal.




That weekend was good for general Game and also for some raptors, and other birds.






Soon I get a group, that let me take pictures, and land up in 5 other national parks.

Thanks for all the kind comments, will post some more in the new week, cause it was roundabout here that the cats came out.

Strange thing, I usually see more cats in summer than in winter, maybe it is cause I usually look for small stuff, chameleon, tortoise, birds in this time.

Well, off to a hectic weekend for me.

But hey, I love my beer, and I smoke. But with some of the guys I had over, I start 4am, finish 8pm. No smoking, no Beer. By 8pm, I go to my dwelling of the evening, grab the smokes and a cold one, knowing I am going to finish a pack of smokes with my 6pack beer.

I get through 2 smokes and one beer and fall asleep.

And just for fun, one of those moments that you just have to see in no colour.

I'll be back after a few days in Kruger, then I will post some of this kinda pics.

Thanks for the reading.

Following:
Eish, I wanted to be finished with this TR already, but yes, things happen. Including a lot of water.
In the time in Kruger, sometimes I had to go out Phalagat gate, drive down to Kruger Gate Via JHB. So as I entered Kruger Gate again, our first 4 sightings were as follows.

Crocodile.


Leopard, but he was quick, so not that a good pic, bit of a bum shot


Nobody wanted to exit the vehicle to read the Tablets, wonder why?


And finally some Buck.


And then this Jackal,



So now we just send the guests home and go to sleep.

But the days turned out to be good, with some more sightings.

Getting the Big5 and some more.





That Lion and Leopard was a sign of things to come, sightings just got better as the wet season advanced.

Today starts out with a early trip to Phalagat to pic up some guests, and the mercury rising to 48degrees. Some really good sightings. And some bad luck, but I will post more during the course of the weekend.