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EJ, more of us should be doing a job that we love just like you, everytime I read your posts I can tell that you have a love for the park as well as the environment where you work, love reading your posts, have a well deserved rest, look after yourself

Sometimes I think I took the wrong career path - I became a nurse and went into Neonatal Intensive Care...... a career in the bush was not even a vague thought! It was only after (being forced into) early retirement and returning to SA that I became bush-orientated......did courses to learn more.....became a guide and then an HR.....and ended up here in Kruger as a full-time volunteer. An incredible impossible undreamt of dream!

... a lot of us would like to have a "distance covered" like that... but

Congratulations on your wickets and trophy, EJ. And enjoy your break away from your regular work.

Yes, there are probably a lot of us who would love a bush job like yours.

Have a well-deserved break ej

Back at the caravan now, and almost sorted out ready for tomorrow, so I can take it easy this afternoon now. Even have a chop left over from Friday's braai, so will heat that up and some veges and have that for an early supper (after some ice cream!).

It is hot, but windy with a lot of clouds about.

Thanks for the description of the cricket EJ, great for those of us who could not be there. Have a good break on your week away and come back refreshed. i shall miss your reports!

Monday morning I left Malelane gate at about 0830 - a bit later than I had wanted to - and headed for the N4. A bit of shopping, and a visit to the post office, and 2 hours later I was back in Kruger.......

A busman's holiday I guess!!!!! Drove in at Croc Bridge (was stopped by the head guide wanting me to help with activities next week as City will be away.....!) and headed for Maroela camp. I have 6 nights here, in a peaceful, shady camp where I can just chill out if I want and look out over the dry river bed (although there is a little water visible from my camp site) or go out for a drive.

I hoped I would be incognito.......but the manager saw the HR stickers on my car when I stopped at reception to check in and asked if I was here to help! And the man who checked me in was one of the guides who has attended the Orientation course I help with...... I did say I was here for a HOLIDAY! My first proper week off in all of the 3 years I have been here!

On my way up to Maroela I saw Elsa and co on their way out of the park, another yellow ribbon flew past me later on.

Sightings wise......ellies, zebs, wildebeest, impala, rhinos, buffalo herd, lions on a kill near Lower Sabie, leopard in a tree just past that, warthog, more lions, waterbuck, chameleons, leopard tortoise, slender mongoose, dwarf mongoose, banded mongoose, bushbuck, nyala......and lots of birds too. It was a good trip - but my camera batteries gave in, the spares did not work.....and then after I quickly stopped to buy some more, the memory card was full and the spare would not work...... All sorted out now though, but too late for the trip up.

It took me a couple of hours to get set up - but that was mainly because I did it leisurely rather than rush and get too hot. Had the honey badger snuffling around the tent a lot during the night!

Yesterday I went to Moholoholo to visit friends there, so it was not a 'park' sightings day (very cute 9 week old rhino calf....).

Today I stayed in camp. Did laundry from the Cricket weekend, and cooked a big lunch. Watched vervet monkeys have a squabble - 2 males maybe fighting over leadership of the troupe.... and 2 squirrels chasing about and mating every time they stopped running! An ellie visited the river bed late afternoon, and a bushbuck was also there in the morning.

Tomorrow, if I still feel like it in the morning, I may go for a drive.....but may also just stay put again. It is nice not to have to do anything!!!!

Stephen Nel called me yesterday afternoon to ask where I was......a storm went through Malelane and the shade net over my caravan has been blown almost completely off. He said the caravan was still standing.....and looks as if all is OK. He had a lot of problems to deal with because of the storm, but said he would try to remove the shade net for me. So when I get back on Sunday guess what I need to do.......

We had some strong wind, and a storm last night here, but no problems.....the tent and car are cleaner too!

Enjoy your holiday, Ecojunkie

I ended up coming home a day early!!!! Somehow I don't seem to be cut out for sitting around doing nothing.....and could not afford the fuel to do too much driving around. Also the camp began to fill up, and the 'human hyenas and lions' made me angry!!! They even tried a couple of hyenas whoops in the night - but always the same call and same volume from the same place..... I just decided that rather than get too upset about it all I would pack up and come home.

It meant that yesterday which was a bit cooler was a good day to sort out the shade cloth - and although it is not as I would like, it is at least over the caravan and tent again providing protection.

This will be a very busy week - I am going up to Skukuza this afternoon to help with shooting practice and assessment the next 3 days, and then on to a Parks Heritage course through to Sunday. After that an easier week although there is still marking to do from the last Orientation course, and there will be stats and a report to do from the shooting assessment.

Oh EJ. Sitting and doing nothing was supposed to be relaxing for you. But I agree that is also not my style. I have been away from the forum for a while and I came back this morning to find you had been on holiday. I was about to ask where do you go for a weeks holiday - then you answered my unasked question - to Kruger of course. Still it's nice to have you back and we all enjoy your reports. But you work so hard the whole year round. Next time try taking a trip to Addo for a week. Different from Kruger in so many ways. There the elephants don't stand in the road and dare you to come past - they politely get out of the way! Take care.

Had to go where I could afford to go.......! But maybe will try to go somewhere different sometime.....

Got to Skuks about an hour before gate closing time eventually. Found myself in comparitive luxury in one of the biggest huts in the Research camp - and for the rest of the week!

Next 3 days were spent going out to the shooting range at 0600 and returning mid-afternoon. 2 days of practice, one of assessment. Saw lions, elephants, hippos, hyenas, kudus, impalas, bushbuck, warthogs, mongooses (dwarf, slender, banded). A herd of impala entertained us on the range at one point bounding about in apparent play. Have to watch for hyenas if walking about in the camp.....

Yesterday 4pm the Parks Heritage course started - mostly guides attending which is great as they can pass on so much information to guests in the future. My role is really just to keep things running smoothly and trouble-shoot.

Back home again on Sunday......and then more marking etc next week.

Not sure where time goes these days!!!

Couple of trips last week - one where the vehicle would not start after stopping to watch rhinos! Flat battery! Fortunately near enough to BnD to have cell phone signal, and Stephen Nel came out to help. The guests thought the whole adventure was a bonus!!!!!

Last night I did a night drive - and had a family of 4 who have had good sightings while here, and said wistfully they needed to see lions. I gave them 6 walking with us on the road and playing together! Also called Peter and Patrick so they were able to share them with their guests too.

Also had ellies, rhinos, and a buffalo on the road shortly before getting back to camp, so only needed a leopard to make it full house. No spotted eagle owls for the first time for ages......several nightjars and scrub hares, fewer impalas than usual, duikers, good sighting of a civet, bushbabies, and a few unidentified 'eyes'.

Just as I got back Raymond sent an sms asking me to do a morning walk - I was tempted to ignore the message but he was waiting for me and twisted my arm into agreeing.......so up early this morning ready to be picked up to go on the walk with Peter.

Oh EJ! What a wonderful drive - your guests were very lucky.

On one of our drives, our guide (won't mention his name in case he gets into trouble) got a call from a fellow guide to tell him about 2 cheetah on the S128, but we were on the S29, so we did what we called a "Ferrari Safari" to go to them, but when we got there all we saw were a couple of shapes disappearing into the long grass! It was such a fun ride...for us anyway!

I love your updates, it is like we are there with you and also gives us insight into the fact that guides do other things except drive around all day in heaven!

Please keep them coming.

EJ
and a walk this morning