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We could hardly believe it…but before our very eyes there was our very first…

Kill of the trip
Golden orb spider and mid afternoon carbohydrate


We took some pic’s much to the disgruntlement of several cars that came cruising up to us moist eyed with excitement. “What do you see?” they would uniformly ask and once the object of our gaze was revealed, they would nod politely as if to say, “Shame” or “Ridiculous” as they continued on their way far from the “mad hatters”.

We turned off the H1-3 and headed down the Vutomi road and soon enough we came across some frolicking friends and family intent on enjoying the afternoon sunshine. We think this was the gang leader as he was fearless in his pursuit of fun

Macho Mongoose


Further on we caught a glimpse of something on the rocks…. And found two Kilpspringer although they weren’t in the mood for unwanted guests

Klipspringer


A long time later and two or a few Christie’s later with the odd couple of meatballs we arrived at an impressive looking Lugmag dam. There wasn’t too much happening and we couldn’t spend too much time there as time was marching on and gate closing time was drawing ever nearer. We did see this old timer basking on a bank and smiling at his fortune in life.
Crocodile


Not far from the dam we saw this gorgeous bit of fluff
Carmine Bee eater


And then Richprins’s relative made an appearance
RP’s relative


And then at the Talamati road tree some “I see you but you can’t see me” moves by

SneakytheSquirrel


With a sigh of pure contentment we arrived at Orpen and checked into bungalow number three. The same unit we had stayed in, in October last year. It had a great view of the waterhole and waiting for supper to be ready we took a glass of wine and went and sat on one of the benches at the fence and watched a wonderful………………………………….

…………………………herd of ellies come down to the watering hole. They drank and played around for several minutes before moving away.


Happy, we went to have dinner and turn in early for a good sleep. Little did we know that about twenty minutes later this would be at the same watering hole….





Saturday Morning

A refugee, a pregnancy and an itch to scratch


After our morning cup of coffee or three and a hot cross bun we headed out to meet an overcast and drizzly day.

The plan was to take the S136 and see what this beautiful road would hold for us. On our way on the H7 and just out the gate we saw our first

Ellie of the day


In the same clearing we saw two jackals. The one disappeared under a bush but this one was happy to be out in the morning and even posed for us a bit




before deciding that nothing beats a good old scratch in the morning


and then scampering off into the distance


Some time later we came across another strange looking plant. Is it a bird? Is it a tree? No…

It’s a Guinea Fowl B&B (Bed and Breakfast)


It was still steadily drizzling and everything was pretty wet


This guy came out and took advantage of a drink close to home


These two fish eagles

Were grooming themselves none too happy with the state of their wet feathers

Across the banks on the opposite side of the Timbavati river bed was a

Lone Waterbuck


Not far from there and just before we turned on to the S136 we were lucky enough to spot this

African Harrier Hawk


Also known as a Gymnogene




Which we don’t see all that often either


With our spirits lifted we turned onto the S136 and had a cup of coffee the last of the meatballs and a sandwich. Feeling fortified we drove along. The road is beautiful but for a long time we saw almost nothing. For the time being the rain had eased up and this

Refugee decided it was safe to come out of his hiding spot and scurry off into the day.


Not far from there we came across a herd of zebra. Some of them were

Grooming each other


But this girl was HEAVILY pregnant and clearly shy about her weight gain. We wondered when she was due as it looked like she could give birth any minute.


We carried on and just past Muzandzeni picnic spot it started raining again! This time the rain produced the most amazing………………………………………

……………………………….wet and disgruntled brothers we had seen for a long time, maybe because bachelorhood wasn’t all they had hoped it would be…..

The bachelors


We followed them for some time as they made their way through the rain and veld in search of some sunshine. There was only one other car on the road and we followed these big boys for ages. Occasionally we would lose sight of them altogether before we picked up movement again. By now it had stopped raining and after nearly half an hour we lost sight of them altogether. Ahead was a small watering hole and we wondered if they were perhaps heading there. We drove on and parked with a perfect view of the watering hole and we waited……Our patience was rewarded as

First one well fed lion


Came to quench his thirst


And the brothers followed


Crowding around the watering hole to slake their thirst


And took a moment to consider what their lives would be like with a good woman by their side


Made this one feel pensive


But this guy decided belly full and thirst quenched was good enough


And so time to move on again…… We must have watched them for over an hour all in all and some of the most active lions we have ever seen.
With a sigh of pure bliss we toasted our first cats of the trip with a can of gold and carried on our way.

The road was pretty quiet after that with the occasional

LBJ for company


And then our second kill of the trip.....

Beauty and the beast


Get a grip


Hold on


Release and toss down the throat


And look mom “No hands”


Mom and I were content to enjoy the sounds of the bush and Christies cans popping as we drove along. It had been a great morning so far and we were happily heading to Lugmag dam where………………………..

…………….where not much was happening but it is one of those sublimely peaceful places that you could spend hours just being. Across from us on the other side of the dam were this

Waterbuck Family overseen by the ghost of a long dead buffalo


The view of the dam always induces a sense of serenity


Later on during the day we turned onto the magnificent Vutomi road and came to the Tinhongana watering hole where this lone
Saddle Billed Stork was roaming


On the other side an elephant came down to slake it’s thirst
And a one…


Two…


And three…


The rest of the day was pretty quiet and having turned onto the H1-3 heading back to Orpen w e came across this

Shy guy on the way. He was not too keen on posing for us and kept hiding all his assets from us.


The afternoon had turned a bit windy and the

Clouds were once again gathering momentum


Then at Kumana which almost always produces something for us we found a huge

Herd of buffalo


That were drinking and milling about …..


And so another gorgeous day was almost over and on the last stretch into camp we saw a big Pajero stopped and it's occupant's were peering into the bush…….

…………………………who are staring into the bush on my side of the road. Mom is driving so that I can take pic’s (thanks Mom). We sidle up behind the Pajero looking intently left…right….and left again.
Me: Do you see anything?
Mom: No do you?
Me: No…but it seems to be on my side of the road
Mom: Let’s just ask them…..
So we inch forward slowly and I ask the burly driver:
Me: Excuse me, Hi, what are you seeing?
Him: (With a look that says are you mad woman or blind?) The elephants
Me: Where??
Him: Right over here…..and lo and behold not 20m in were two Ellie’s…..and with a laugh he says…”Yes..They’re quite big hey?”
By this point my mom can barely drive she is laughing so much.
Me: What’s so funny? Anybody could have missed them.
Mom: Yes,,,but not whilst holding a can of Christie’s

…………and with that we headed on to camp for a relaxed early evening.

Sunday morning

Mud, mites and bustards

We woke up the next morning to another drizzly cool day. Grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out to meet the day.


Soon after we left we came across this wet and disgruntled

Bateleur


The road was pretty quiet and we didn’t see much as turned onto the S39 heading towards the Timbavati picnic spot. The day could not decide if it wanted to clear up or stay overcast. Watching over the day was this

Sentinel of time


Further on we came across this beautiful

Waterbuck


And this very bedraggled

Burchell’s Coucal


We did not see much else all the to the Timbavati picnic spot. However the road was so gorgeous and green after the rains that it was a gift just to be on it. A quick pit stop at Timbavati and a cup of coffee and we were on our way again to meet a mite at Olifants. However when we came across this stunning

Kori Bustard we had to stop,admire,take some pic’s and admire some more







And then we were on our way again to meet……………………………….

………………………… Sprocky at Olifants. Sprock’s had bought Jamie lee his daughter along and I can honestly say I have never met a more well behaved, centred and happy to be in her own space little person before. As for Sprock’s…well what a genuinely nice guy. We spent about two hours chatting with him over lunch and a beer at the new Olifants restaurant. His passion for the bush and the sharks come through clearly and it was a great to spend some time with him and Jamie. I am only sorry that there was not more time as we had to head back for a sunset drive. Thanks Sprock's

After saying our goodbyes we headed down on the H1-4 towards Orpen again.

Here is a view of the Olifants on the way back


A looooooong time later we came across this

Leguuan who was in the process of shedding


What do you mean I should use sunblock?


There were the usual suspects on the way back but nothing spectacular until we came across this

Fabulous Owl




The pic’s are not great as I have zoomed in drastically to give you an impression of what we saw. We so seldom see these wonderful creatures that we spent some time watching. Feeling a deep sense of contentment we carried on to Orpen to make sure that we would make the sunset drive. About two kilometers outside of the gate we passed………………………………………………….

………………………… What appeared to be a sunset drive vehicle that could only have come from Orpen. It can’t be ours I told my mom. We still have half an hour before we leave. But unbeknownst to me the departure time at Orpen for any of the drives is half an hour earlier because they collect people from Tambotie en route. However thanks to Tinyiko and staff at Orpen we were quickly assisted and changed our sunset drive to a night drive. This gave us some time to relax a bit at camp and have a light dinner before heading out. After spending all day in the car and being a relatively quiet day sightings wise we were eager to see what the night held for us.

Not too long into the drive we saw some jackal and soon after that we saw two of these


** Video’s may be getting more shaky with time….not sure what could be causing it **

Some stars and a steenbok later we saw this wriggly pot



The rest of the drive was very relaxing but pretty uneventful until…………………………………..

………………………until we came across this cutie



Not the best and I know the shakiness is bad …but also very difficult to capture anything when the guys with the lights are more interested in shining them elsewhere……

Anyway after that there was nothing else and we took our weary bod’s off to bed.

Monday Morning

A flight of fancy and a windswept field

After what felt like an hours sleep I woke up feeling far more sprightly than I had in recent days

still needed my cup of java though and mom who was feeling as strong as Mother Russia

was as usual an absolute saint in the morning…Thanks Mom.

We packed the car and got ready to leave….we were heading out to Tambotie that evening a first for us. Before we left camp I thought I would see if we could check in so long for Tambotie that evening if we promised not to pitch up before 14:00. Whilst I was there I thought I would check if they had one of the luxury tents available….Not having to waltz through some pretty dense bush to use the ablution facilities in the middle of the night held enormous appeal. As luck would have it they did and was informed that I would be most happy with the location as it was one of the favourites….. Thanks to the staff at Orpen whom I have always felt are some of the friendliest and most helpful in Kruger. A very special thanks to Tinyiko for everything!

So with en suite in mind we hit the main road down to Satara again in search of “stuff”. It needs to be said that “stuff" is one of my favourite words. It covers a large variety of “things” and can be used for almost any situation. This being said the conversation in the car went something like this….
Mom: Do you see anything?
Me: Yes
Mom: What?
Me: Stuff
Mom: What kind of stuff:
Me: Brown stuff
or Green stuff
or moving stuff
or stuff stuff as the situation demanded….. But the first “real stuff” we saw was at Nsemani dam where we saw

Some stunning stuff


A Juvenile Gymnogene was perched quite close to us and allowed a few shots


Before it let out a long and plaintive cry


And was gone…in search of food stuff

This was also my first pic of a bird in flight…which I have to admit was sheer dumb luck that I captured it

The road was quiet and not a lot of stuff was happening so we drove on to the S100 to see what the road had in store for us. Along the way we related to the animals we came across as they

Dozed off


And thought cats on the S100? Yeah right!


And searched for shelter from the midday sun


And took a break from everything


We were quite tired by now and quiet as the day had been a slow one and we were desperately looking for that “IT” moment of the day. So somewhat wearily we turned onto ………………………………………………

……………………………………One of the little loops that runs closer to the river.

We were content to just sit and watch these

We sat peacefully and watched them until they had moved on.

Monday afternoon

Daylight fading, windscreen shots and Dotty’s other cousin


We turned onto the S90 where not much was happening either….where were all the animals?? What on earth had Jacob done with them? Not even impies… We had been quite specific as to herding the cats to us!!

So was this a ploy to get more money?

Was he off with S&D learning the Diski dance



or perhaps with Richard or Lionspoon in KTP where the cats don’t need herding??


Later I was to realize the fatality of my wording…. It seems there is more than one way to Herd cats


By now we were contemplating the long road ahead


And as one does in Kruger your mind drifts in and out. These ribbons of “almost” thoughts. Thoughts that start and then flutter to the next. Perch for a moment on the edge of consciousness and then just before you can grasp onto it they fly away.
Just like these Red Billed Queleas in fact. Such synchronicity from so many busy little things.


I remember in the afternoon sun that the grass had been bleached to almost white on this part of the road and when the sun caught it just right it ended up looking just like
Snow grass


We were definitely in that early afternoon slump. The drone of the car lulling us into a sense of numbness…or was that the Christies?

By now we were almost back on the tar road just up from Satara when a head popped up to say “Hi”

From a very curious Rock Monitor


Back at Satara we said hello to some of the residents



Had a bit of a break before we headed up to Tambotie. Our spirits were flagging a bit and we were quite concerned about our figures the statistical ones that is . No spots so far when we were used to averaging 2 leopards every trip!! This was not good and we needed to fix the situation…But how?? Kruger is a bit like John Travolta’s career in that respect. All feverish and alive one minute and the next minute all pulp fiction

At Nsemani we saw this Old man marabou that cracked us up.

We were laughing so much we were crying again. The way he walked reminded us of someone and needless to say that was just what mom and I needed to snap out of it!
But having snapped out of it didn’t bring on any additional sightings.

Heading into the remains of the day we came across this Baboon family who were not even playful and I decided that I could take pic’s through the windscreen….whilst I was driving…here are some of the results…
{WSS}

I had a look at this scene and couldn’t help thinking of the words “Daylight fading, come and waste another year. All the anger and the eloquence are bleeding into fear. And you’ll see the early signs of daylight fading baby just before it’s gone.” By the Counting Crows.
{WSS}

It seemed to sum up everything that we were feeling. Sadness at our last night, that the day was over, that we were failures at finding spots…
Bar this Speckled family that looked as if they were leading us to something fabulous.

Beckoning us…follow this way…
{WSS}
Well we had no choice really. Tambotie was that way

And in the distance this view seemed to epitomize the impending evening and the emotions of the animals and my mom and I….

It seemed that we all felt a little bit blue
{WSS}

So with heavy hearts we turned a corner about 5 km’s from camp. There were two cars that had stopped and we carefully joined in behind them. What were they seeing? And then I saw a flick, grabbed my mom’s arm and yelped………………………………………………………………

…………………………………… CAT!! Cat! cat! CAT!!!!

Followed by Spots!!! Spots spots!!!

We were to0 excited to breathe…Leopard…

No cheetah…

Leopard…..

And then CHEETAH!!! CHEETAH!!! CHEETAH!!!

As spotted on came strolling onto the road



Gave us only the briefest sideways glimpse




Continued on....



And as suddenly as it had appeared...



Disappeared still with it's back to us into the long grass. In my excitement I didn't know if I wanted to take pic's or a video and so messed them both up But this did not detract in any way from our first spot sighting of the trip

We sat in stunned awed silence for a few minutes. Hardly able to believe our luck! We were so excited and so happy that "our' cheetah road had produced yet again!

I was quite sure that this was neither Elena….nor Simon or Garfunkel However what was not clear was if this was one of the cheetahs’ we had seen in June 2009….





And again on the same road in October 2009…



We were now three for three! The last three trips to Kruger had produced Cheetah sightings for us!! And on the same road!!!

We were ecstatic as we headed on to camp….and then just at the Tambotie turn off from the main road our Black backed jackals were cavorting next to the road.



Unfortunately we didn’t have much time left to spend with them as we needed to get to camp now and we were hoping to not have to unpack in the dark…as luck would have it we just made it before darkness descended.

This however was where luck stopped and hilarity took over. This would be an evening we would never forget….Neither would our unfortunate neighbours…..

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Hi Shi

No more threat of goggos, no more meatballs, mo more christies and no more waiting for you to write the report. I have just remembered that I was there too and maybe I remember things about our night in the tent that you have forgotton about. Maybe I should finish the report for you.
What do you think, Shi?

………………………………………….and so our evening of hilarity proceeds…..

Flashing, accidental voyeurism and a snake or none


We arrived at Tambotie close to dark and had tent no 40. Tried to open the door but it was locked!!! This after being told not to worry we did not need a key….. So we tried to find the reception area and got lost instead

We ran into a group of Italian tourists who between hand gestures and a few key words we discovered did not know which tents were theirs and had not in fact checked in at Orpen prior to closing time. We managed to get hold of the duty manager at Orpen on the phone who helped the tourists with the correct unit numbers. He helped us by saying that the doors were not locked and that maybe it just needed a good shove….so off to our tent we headed in now near darkness…..We tried the door again with a bit of a shove and Lo and behold it opened…. Apparently Christies make you weak AND stupid

Any way by now it was seriously getting a bit eerie and as tent 40 is the very last one in the camp and on the perimeter we wanted to unpack as quickly as possible….. Next to the steps leading up to the tent there was also a big hole……a big hole could only mean it was home to something big as well….

So if you can close your eyes and picture it the scene would look something like this….. Lynnb and Shi loaded down like camels, staggering toward the tent, whilst we are staggering under the collective baggage we are trying to high step it to miss any “gogga stuff” that might be lurking, eyes swiveling from big hole to fence to tree and back again….doing recon with cooler boxes and luggage is not recommended…we looked drunk or demented or both I suppose….


After this we were huffing and puffing but ready to have a (by this time) night downer and check out our new spot for the night. It was when we put on the lights that I realized there were more bugs inside our tent than outside…… Now I am a big fan of grasshoppers……when they are a few kilometers away from me…



so mom once again saved my nerves and shooed all the little critters out of the tent.

We also both have a penchant for snakes….as in how to avoid them So I am thinking of the forum member who found a black mamba in the bathroom of their tent and my mom is thinking of an incident where a puffie was sleeping on the bed on of my brother’s sojourns to Maclear…. This is on our mind as we prepare to go to sleep after a chilled out dinner on the verandah…..
Once mom has inspected the bed gingerly we determine that it is safe to sleep there that evening

Now only having camped twice in my life I am a complete novice to tent etiquette and the evening quickly needed PG guidance. Because whilst the tents are thick canvas the mesh is see through when lights are on… a fact my mom thought it might be prudent to point out to me after I had taken my shirt off….


But I in my blonde wisdom am convinced that our tent’s bathroom extends past our bedroom and shields us from our neighbors….So convinced of my recon excellence whilst hot footing it to the tent in near darkness that am I that I whip out the torch and proceed to shine it out into the pitch blackness surrounding us! Well I can’t see our bathroom but I can’t see anything else either…..
Mom “See, I told you….the bathroom does not come that far out”
Me “Maybe I was wrong, but at least the neighbors are further away”
Mom “Hmmph”
My mom calls my dad to tell him about the day’s events and what we have seen. I proceed to tell him that we miss him a lot!...
My mom’s response…."Shi misses you lots luvvie even more so cause she is scared witless”

Lights turned off and ready for sleep…. We hear the hyenas whooping in the distance….every so often one of us sits up looks out the tent to see if we can see anything next to the fence….But nothing. An hour or so later I need to go the bathroom….
Me: “ Mom” in a whisper….then louder “Mom”
Mom: “Go to sleep”
Me: “Are we sure there were no snakes in the bathroom”
Mom: “ Hmmph”
So off I go with a little lantern that was next to the bed…..on the way to bed back it strikes me…
Me: “I look like Klaas Vaakie” I say in tandem with
Mom:“You look like Klaas Vaakie”
Hysterical laughter is tamped down so as not to wake up the neighbors whilst I snort away and almost rupture my oesophagus in the process….. Eventually we settle down and fall asleep to the sounds of the African bush zzzzzzzz


We wake up to the sounds of bird calls the next morning but it is still pitch dark outside. I semi sit up and check out the window to see if anything is next to the tent and then look out the other side…..Straight into the softly lit tent of our neighbors….. As I am watching this a slow dawning realization sneaks up on me….
Me: “Oh no” I groan
Mom:“Told you so”
Me: “Maybe they were outside”
Mom: “Hmmph”


We are not quite our stellar selves before we hit the road as we had very little sleep. So by the time we head off out of camp it is about an hour and a half after the gates have opened and some of the people are coming back from their morning drives already. One such couple passes us on the narrow road out. We wave our thanks as they have moved over to give us room to pass and the man smiles broadly at us and winks but the woman shakes her head at us and makes what looks like a tssking sound.
Me: “What on earth is that all about??”
Mom: “Those would be our neighbors from last night”
Me: “Could I have a Christies please?”

And so our last morning in the park starts……………….

………………………………………We take the tar road down to Satara and it is still overcast. Which is fortunate as it hides my still burning cheeks!


When the light does come through it illuminates everything


We run into another Warthog family


And a lone Ground Hornbill


Who makes me feel better about my red face


This Golden orb Spider is hanging on by a thread


And these two who seem content to gaze upon each other


Later on this Impie and friend are having a long and meaningful conversation


And this tired sentinel looks as if he’s seen it all


At Nsemani dam we come across this Woolly necked stork


And we watch these Butterflies frolicking for ages


As we are driving off we pass this Cammo Guy

Who gives me the beady eye as if to say “I heard what you did last night”

My farm is beautiful at the moment and Jacob has planted many new

Wildflowers


He even pruned one of my favourite trees
The Baobab

And on closer inspection we found that someone had left this memento on the tree

Where did it come from? Who left it and why?

.......................................We pondered over the meaning of the rose as we travelled down towards Tshokwane where we planned to stop for some coffee. Like some of you we came to the conclusion that it was probably in memory of a loved one. It made me realize again how many generations have had some incredible moments and Kruger memories. How fortunate we all are to have been able to experience this. Let’s all ensure that the next generations can too.
At Mazithi Dam we came across

More Woolies


The usual suspects


And this lethargic Rhino who was chilling out


Feeling sooooo good


Being a bit of a Poser for us


And too much effort to stand up so down again


Let’s do role play….I’ll be the cat


Watching this magnificent creature and seeing that majestic horn I could not fathom that people would cut it off in the cruelest fashion and leave these animals for dead. The anti-poaching auction is on now let’s all support it please!

Here’s why


We left Mazithi some time later and decided to have a quick stop at Orpen Dam. The weather seemed to be gathering momentum again

As these Clouds started building up


And then we came across the remains of a skirmish…wonder who won?


And then we came across what must be one of the best sights in Kruger…………………..