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This will be a „normal“ trip report from different SANParks. But i will also write a little bit from my way to the parks.

It all began in early 2006, when my sister came to me and said, she will be with me on my next trip. I thought a while about this. Could it be a good trip with my sister? Will she be patient enough for game spotting? Will she like the basic accommodation and so on? But i decide, to take her with me.

A wise decision She was a good partner on this trip. Patient enough, well behaved, very good in game spotting and so on. Thank you Tanja, that you were such a good company for me.

After over a year of planning on thursday 27.09.2007 the adventure began. Luckily, the weight of our luggage was in the limit. Unluckily i felt 3 months before our departure in love. So after many kisses and a few tears we leave Berlin with Air France in the evening. Via Paris and JoBurg we arrived in the afternoon of friday, 28.09.2007 in Capetown.

The flights were uneventful. So we hurried for our bags, to leave fast to our guest house. But no bags there We went to the office. After a few minutes the nice guy behind the desk could explain me, what goes wrong. Air France maked the fault to check our bags threw to CT. But the custom is in JoBurg!

So we leave the airport without our bags. At Sixt / tempest we pick up our Toyota Avanza. A nice car, silver, 27.000 km, a few scratches, but ok. We leave the airport and straight down to camps bay, to our guest house. Nice appartement and a after a shower we got a call from the airport, bags are arrived.

Back to the airport, taking the bags and now down to VAW. Here we began to buy the first things (cooler bag, knifes, forks and so on) for our trip and hat a lovely dinner.


Please feel free to contact me, if you wish to show me wrong words, tipping errors or other faults. I am willing to get a better english

I have to thank you all for your warm words.

And i have to thank the °!"§$%& Microsoft Company and also HP for a perfectl working bundle! I am very happy, that i know have to tipe my report again, because copy and paste doesn´t work.

Saturday, 29.09.2007 - About Mountain At Land And In The Sea

After a long sleep we had our breakfast at 09:45. Then we leave for the Table Mountain. It is only a short trip round the corner. The way on foot from the parking place to the cable car took more time then the driving. It took us 50 minutes to wait for the tickets and drive up to the mountain. Not that much.



View to Camps Bay, our accommodation is in the first row, coming from the mountain.


The price up and down is Rand 120. The cable car is wonderful. And it is very good, that the cable car makes a 360 degrees turn on his way. The look is spectacular. The first thing on the top i noticed is the strong and cold wind. It was a good decision to wear long throusers and jackets.

We were lucky with the weather, no clouds. We take time to look around and then we took the path over the plateau. Fantastic view around. In the first moment it looked very grey and boring. But if you took a closer look, you will see a lot of colourful plants and birds. Lovely.











Toddelelfe trying to be a good artist



You are fast, but i am too :-)


And you are cute!


Sad, like an other forumite wrote, no dassies to spot. I remember 2002 with lots of dassies. But many, many birds. After 2,5 hours we leave this fantastic place. An absolutely must done for me on every visit. Lucky capetonians to have this wonderful mountain.

Not enough SANPark for the day, we decide, to drive to ...

To be continued

Not enough SANPark for the day, we decide, to drive to Simonstown. Right, we are going to



Boulders, to visit the penguins. Like all the years before, it is very funny.
The weather is very good, so we took the boardwalk from the office to the beach.

Lots of young penguins, lying between bushes or on the the rocks or the sand. Calling for their parents or going around. Lovely entertainment. The parents seem to be out for fishing. We scan the sea to watch them. But no penguins.





But whats that? A big fin in the sea gives us a sign. WHALE! How lucky is this day (and not the last lucky day ) I took a lot of pictures and we have a wonderful time.





Before we leave, i go to the shop, to buy us a new Wildcard.

When i fill up the form, Tanja said to me: Look the girl who sell the card looks angry! I don`t believe it, but than i realise, it´s a few minutes to end of workday, and the girl had finished all their accounts. And now came this stupid oversea!

But at all, she is very professionel to me. She makes a very good job, is nice and friendly. So i have to thank her! Sorry to this woman from me, that she will have a late end of workday.

After that we walk to the other end of Boulders Beach (outside the fenced area). Again, lot of penguins, birds and flowers. Wonderful place. And another highlight, a dassie! He posed a few minutes for us and gave me the opportunity for some nice pictures. At the end of our trip, i realised, this is the only dassie we saw! Unbelievable, dassie as a rare sighting!

















We then leave via Hout Bay to Camps Bay, with a lovely sundown over the sea.

By a delicious diner in Camps Bay, Tanja and i have many wonderful sightings to talk about.

To be continued, preview: YR and other lovely stuff

Thanks again you lovely people.

About my english, my problem is often to find the right words to give my emotions, feelings and sightings the right words. For example, red is not the same like the other red. You know how much different reds a sundown could have.

Also i often need help to understand all details of others.

So my hope is to learn more english. And i have learned a lot in the last years on the forum.

And another question, must we wait before the page turns for more? I don´t think so. So in a few minutes more.

Sunday, 30.09.2007 - Hawkers All Around

Great tour to the Cape Of Good Hope. We go up early, take our breakfast and started our trip. It´s a long way to the cape. Also if you stop at a shoprite, to bye some goodies. At Millers Point a troop of baboons. They are playing on a road sign. Very amusing.



At 11 we arrive at the gate. Quick service and go. We took a road to the atlantic side. Not many other cars. Very quiet. But many birds and flowers. Again sunny, but very windy. We took a little walk around. Again wonderful flowers, bugs and birds.







And than shows Tanja how valuable she is. She spotted something in the distance. And yes, there are bonteboks. Very well spotted. At 12 we arrived at Cape Point. More traffic, many busses. We decide to take the cable car to the top . Again we are lucky with the weather. It is sunny and we have a wonderful view from the lighthouse.

Pic by Tanja

Sorry, i am tired, must now go to bed, more tomorrow

Sorry i am late. Busy working, 2 days out for work, fantastic weather, so it is better to sit with friends and drink some beer.

But now we go on...

On the way down we spotted many lizards and flowers. And birds flying on the strong wind to their nests in the rocks. And more luck! 2 whales are swimming directly under a view point. Fantastic sighting! I love whales. Now i am sure, that i don`t have to go to Hermanus.

















We took the way down to the restaurant. We are hungry. We got a good place at the terrace and ordered 2 cheeseburgers with french fries. The menue is okay and we would be entertained by the hawking birds.



On our drive to the real Cape Of Good Hope we saw 2 ostrich, again bonteboks and a ranger, who charged baboons with a stone centrifuge. Very interestening. At the cape are many tourists. And the wind is very strong. We took a few pics and drove away.

On our way to the gate we took a stop at one of the beaches and were greeted on our way out again from bonteboks. A lovely day in the park ends.







Our way back to Camps Bay took us over Kommetjie and Hout Bay. Wonderful views over the ocean, a lovely drive. We took the the chance of the good weather and drove up of the Signal Hill. Fantastic view of the Table Mountain and the table cloth. What a day! Could it be better? Yes, i promise you.





To be continued...

Monday, 01.10.2007 - Yellow Ribbon Day

Today we wisit the the botanical garden of Kirstenbosch. Again a lot of sun, fantastic flowers and birds. Great place. A must see, if the weather is fine.

At the evening, we are going to a Cape Town meet at Primi Pomodori. Very well organized from Michele Nel. We met Pam, Peter. Peter, C.O.Dee, and a few others. I am so sorry, i forget all the names, upps. It was a wonderful meet, wonderful stories, many laughers and new faces. A very good time. Thanks to all forumites, to meet you in real.

Tuesday, 02.10.2007 - Thursday, 04.10.2007

We are driving to Port Nolloth, a little Town, but boring. Nothing special, nice beach, good restaurant. But i think, i will not come back. It was a try.

To be continued...

Sorry for the delayed continuing of the report. But the weather ist to fine. Yesterday Mothers Day, and we braaied with friends and so on

But here it goes again:

Thursday, 04.10.2007 - Take Me Home

We are leaving PN at 06:40. We have to make +- 720 to the Kalahari. I know from my other 2 visits, it could be a boring trip. Not much cars and peoples. And it is so. Only breaks for fuel and loo. But its okay.

At Upington we stop at P´n´p. Well stocked, we took a lot of fruits, veggies, meat, bread and so on. At the winkel a "few" castle and an Amarula. Lunch at Wimpys. Oh god, they are so slow, unbelievable for fast food.

And on the road again. The 210 km to the Molopo Lodge are very easy. Good road, only a few other cars. We stop at Molopo Lodge for fuel and let the guy deflate our tyres. A very good decision.



Now came the baddest road i ever drove. Dust, stones, very big trucks, goats and so on. This is not a gravelled road, it´s a nightmare. If you ever drive this road in a sedan, please be careful and drive slow. Take your time, it´s for your own health and for your car.

A few km before the gate, we saw 3 meerkats. The only meerkats we see on this trip. A very good jump start for KTP. At this point 2 big Offroaders passes us. Later, at the office, we realise these were Madach and company. And they didn´t spot the meerkat



After 80 minutes for 60 km we arrived at 16:00 at KTP. We (Tanja, i and the car) are so happy. We are going to check in. Friendly staff at usual. We got a bungalow near to the office. Very nice, everything is fine, the hot shower is wonderful.

We leave the bungalow for our first trip in the park. We came only till Leeuwdril waterhole. We saw only a few carcasses, springbok, jackals and birds. But it´s wonderful!





We´re back at 17:30, because, we took the chance, to be part of a night drive.

The guide of the nightdrive is Allister, a well behaved man. He knows so many things about nature and wildlife and it seems, it´s a pleasure for him, to share his knowledge with interested guests.

Directly behind the gate he show us to 2 giant owls and eland. On my 2 previous visits i never saw eland. Allister explained us, that the eland normally live in the botswanian part of the park. Because of the enormous dryness, many game came to the southafrican boreholes.

And the games didn´t looks good. It´s in the moment the paradise for the predators. Many carcasses lying around, more than vultures, hyenas, lions and so on could eat.



We are spotting red hartebeest and after sundown cape foxes, bat eared foxes, hares, african wildcat and birds. Allister caught a barking gecko and presented him to us.









Near Leeudriwl crosses hyenas our way, very fast. Very close behind them a lioness. We follow her and at the waterhole we met the rest of the pride.





They eating on a carcass of a wildebeest, very close to the road. We could stay very close to them, hearing them eating, smelling the old meat and see them by their behaviour to another. Fantastic sighting. A great time.







After that, we drove back to Twee Rivieren, all passengers are a little bit tired, but very satisfied of this tour. I start our first braai of the trip. You know, it took a little time to braai. Tanja and i chat about our experience. She is so happy to be here with me. It´s a trip of a lifetime for her (for me again).

With a few castle and wonderful braai in our stomachs we fell in bed and slept very well.

Great lion sighting!

Friday, 05.10.2007 - A Photographic Safari

Early morning wake up call. A few minutes after 6 o´clock we leave TR for a morning drive. A few birds, at the waterhole the dead wildebeest, living wildebeest, springboks, ostrichs and owl, eland and at Leeudril Waterhole an african wildcat in a bush.















Kori bustard, jackals and ground squirrels are joining our way. When we came back to TR, a yellow billed hornbill and yellow mongoose greeted us.



this is not the mongoose )



We took our time for a breakfast, packed the car and drove now (10:45) on to our photographic safari.

...to be continued

...

We took the nossobroad and then the 1st duneroad. Our meeting time is 15:00. Many regular game on the way, gemsbok, red hartebeest and a few raindrops! On the way threw the dunes, like normal, not much to see. Jackal, steenbok and so on.









But at Tierkop Waterhole many, many vultures. Never before i saw so much vultures at one spot. Wonderful sighting!





At 15:00 we reach the Gemsbokplein Education Centre. It is like a place for school kids to have a holiday. That we could stay here, we must thank Madach. I think, it was a hard job for him. Also a big thank you to SANParks, that they gave us the permission to stay here.

The center has two fenced areas. The first part has a great room to teach, eat and cook. 200 meters away the second part. Small basic rooms for i.e. teachers and a dormitory, with, iirc, 20 beds for us 8. The fence isn´t really high. With us stays a ranger (George) here, to have a look of us and protect us. Or to protect the game?

We meet here Madach and Duques, Madachs parents (i am so sorry to forget the names of these lovely and gentle pair) and Craig and Caroline. We chat a while, to get a feeling of the others. They all lovely people and the ice smelt very fast.. All have a lot of interestening stories about the wild side of life to tell.

And if someone thought, that we had to many goodies with us, should have a look in the offroaders of the others.. WOW, fantastic photographic equipment, i am little bit envy. And all the camping stuff, food, drinks and so on. They are well prepared for the bush. I mean the real bush in Namibia or Botswana. Not here, here is south african hinterland, like Brandenburg in Germany )

At about 17:00 we all go again out for a drive by our own. Nobody has the luck to see something special or spectacular.





Good night, time to go to bed.



At 19:00 we began to braai, everybody tries to show the others, that he had the biggest, best and largest camera, knowledge, best picture and so on. But all very friendly and a lot of laughers. Very entertaining and helpful too. A few beers and then in the dormitory. Oh, i forgot, before sleeping, everybody took a shower. Okay, now it´s time. QUIET, please. Tomorrow we leave early.

Saturday, 06.10.2007 - A Kill Is A Kill

A few minutes to 6. And it´s cold, really cold (i took a look of the temperatures at TR for this date, they are down to 4 degrees celsius). But we must go up. We took a short trip to Auchterlorie Museum and photograph again a sunrise. We spot a few birds, jackals and bokkies.







At 8:00 arrived the bus in our camp. The SANParks 20-seater, driver and guide is Allister! Cool. George is his assistant. All of us entered the back of the bus. Everybody is well placed, cameras, binoculars and all the other equipment is also placed. And it´s a real big equipment, with all the gadgets and gimmicks The best gadget are the shower caps from Madach and Duques.









We drove the road to Mata Mata. At 9:40 crosses a leopard the road. But it´s a shy guy and disappeared over the dune. A little bit later a cape cobra hiding in a bush. A good thing is, that we stop for the few trash that we found close to the road. George tooks it careful away. I think the most trash was blowed away elsewhere from the wind. But it were onle a few pieces that i saw in KTP.







Also we saw lots of general game and birds.







In the early afternoon we were back for lunch and to prepare for the sunset drive.

In the early afternoon we were back for lunch and to prepare for the sunset drive.

Okay, take a ride. Many general, but lovely game again. Then the first giraffes. Giraffes are very special for me. I like these elegant animals, the way they walk! Then a male lion. In the bus is an unbelievable sound, like a battle. Not from shouting or screaming. It is the Machine Gun Mode! Yes, the shutters from the cams are so fast and often going, it´s a great experience.





Now it is getting very fast dark. I know this from my trips before. But it´s on every trip for me the first days very surprising. We start the spotlights. The handling of the spotlights is not that easy. But Allister explained it very well!. As i wrote before, an excellent guide. It becomes an interestening ride. Hares, bat eared foxes, genet and african wildcat (both spotted from me! ). I´m satisfied with me on this ride.



And the kill? In the camp, directly at the Angels shower, a barking gecko took a red roman spider. A kill is a kill! A quick sandwich and then to bed. Tomorrow we go on an early full day trip.

Sunday, 07.10.2008 - Love Is All Around

Today we are going with the 20-seater on an early full day trip. Because Allister drive, we are allowed to leave the camp 30 minutes before the gates normally opened. And of course, we took the chance. But on the other hand, we must go up 30 minutes earlier. And it´s really cold, and on the open vehicle it is more cold ) .
At 05:28:



Let me say something general about game drives in open vehicles. You must prepare yourself very well to enjoy the trip. Also if it´s warm, take long clothes with you. It could be very cold. And after a few minutes, it is not very comfortable to sit in the strong wind. Long throusers und shirts protect your skin not only for the wind, also again the sun.
Wear a cap that protect your ears, also take gloves with you. Remember, the temperatures in the morning are sometimes around 0 degrees celsius. And it is not funny to use the camera with frozen fingers.
You normally wear sunglasses to protect your eyes, but what will you do in the dark? There are sportglasses, i.e. for bikers that will to protect eyes again the cold wind. And spotting with tears isn´t easy.
When we entered in the morning the bus, i smiled about Craig and Caroline. They sat with big caps, skiing gloves, blankets, hot drinks and so on in the back row. Funny sighting! Funny? No, clever, after a few minutes i understand, who has more knowledge about safaris.
And remember, many drives took 3 - 4 hours. The only person who sits behind a window and near to a heater is the driver. And take some drinks and snacks with you.

And then enjoy your ride.