South Africa....

As I have mentioned, driving in South can be adventure by itself with all the people, hitchhikers, cows, impalas, goats, sheep, fast drivers, slow drivers, construction crews and trucks roaming the roads.  Overall, the roads are good and smooth, but many non-highways often have significant stretches of potholes.  Some are deep and if you fall in,  for some reason, you are prohibited from getting yourself out-

I did see some unusual construction projects driving around-

Does 'standalone' mean no sink or bathroom?  Not sure.

I would certainly appreciate anyone who can explain the meaning of the following sign-

Notwithstanding my occasional bemusement, I found South Africa a wonderful, beautiful, incredibly diverse, and exotic land filled with some of the most friendly and welcoming people I have met anywhere,

 From 'the prettiest city in the world-

To the prettiest vineyards anywhere-

To its beautiful sea side towns-

To the dramatic and world class Drakenbergs-

To its exotic animals-

To its oh-so-welcoming and interesting people-

To its spectacular and uniquely  verdant Blyde River Canyon-

Where else in the world can you see and experience all this?

And if you throw into all of that, a side to one of the world's true wonders at Vic Falls (as they call it)-

Well, you have the makings of a pretty good trip.   Thanks for reading. 

Potholes...and a lawyered country..

A couple more pictures of the impressive Blyde River Canyon-

I mostly stayed in B&Bs while in SA and they were almost uniformly excellent- clean, comfortable, modern, spacious, charming and of very good value (usually around $70 including a full breakfast).  I tended to gravitate to inconspicuous earth- toned type places-

On my last day in South Africa, on the advice of one of the women I met in Kruger, I went to Bourke's Potholes in the Blyde River Canyon.  Why someone would want potholes as his slice of immortality, I am not sure, but evidently Mr. Bourke did.

  The formations from the river were quite interesting and unique-

The potholes resembled some of my teeth cavities-

Interestingly, in SA, in any national or provincial park or reserve, or even in any hotel room for that matter, you always saw these prominent disclaimers-

The place is a lawyer's dream.  Ok, one more summary post for my African adventure. 

Blyde River Canyon

It was with some sadness that I left my merry band of new South African friends behind.  They, including the guides, were a terrific group and made the whole  experience quite memorable-

They knew how to rough it too- there was no shortage of gin and tonics, whiskey, wine and beer for what they call here "sundowners" or at the evening meal. 

I journeyed then to Blyde River Canyon just west of Kruger park in the northeast of the country.  It is the 3rd largest canyon in the world and quite impressive-

It is unique among canyons because it so green. 

Within the canyon, there are the famous 3 rondavels, which look a little like traditional SA huts by the same name-

I took a hike deep into the canyon and found a deserted swimming hole with a waterfall on my way back.  The water was cold but not icy and so I decided to go for a quick swim....below the falls-

Lions!!

You could actually see quite a bit of game from the viewpoint of our camp and one afternoon a pride of lions showed up about 400-500 meters away-

Kind of like me, you could see them laze about in the heat, watching the wildebeasts and other animals from afar-

The guide said that the wildebeast- not the smartest of animals- sometimes would forget that they were there and then wander down to the water hole....pretty much a one time mistake.  We counted 12 lions- all females, young lions and cubs.  

The next day we set out on 2nd morning walk and as we descended a river bank, the lead guide halted and then pointed- the whole pride of lions was there including 2 large males not 40 yards away (we had almost walked into them)-

As I was readying my camera for more shots, a cub came over the bank toward us- maybe 25 ft away- and the guide broke the silence and yelled "Move!!!  Get away!!!"

We turned and quickly walked in the other direction and the guides readied their rifles.  They were very concerned that the lioness would follow to protect her cub and then attack us.  They can be on you in flash the guide said and then take you down in an instant.  

Fortunately, the cub looked back for its mother and then headed back down the bank and then all the lions- there had to be 12-15 of them (big beautiful animals)- scattered up the other side of the riverbank.  I was unable to take any more photos, but it was quite an exciting encounter.  

A Walking Safari

It was an elite Navy-seal like crew that embarked on our walking safari deep into the African bush-

  You had to travel very light and could only bring the barest necessities to the camp-

The camp was beautifully situated in the Sweni Wilderness area on the eastern edge of the park near Mozambique.  There were no real roads in the area and it was quite remote. It actually had fairly comfortable sleeping quarters and the view from the dining area overlooking a water hole and the open bush was great-

I found the place surprisingly comfortable, except for the mosquito netting.  I am not sure how many mosquitos it kept out, but I seemed to get tangled up in it every night (it was supposed to catch mosquitos not me)-

The rangers would get you up at 4:45 and then you would go out for a 5 hour walk into the bush to look for game.  We saw some beautiful African sunrises-

 The guides carried rifles.  Our guides were extremely knowledgeable about all elements of the African bush, from spiders, to termites, to vegetation, to birds (there were many eagles), to porkupines, to crockodiles, to elephants and other larger animals (warthog below)-

The problem was that the guides occasionally quizzed you.  Unfortunately, at one point, when we came upon a giraffe- which they had spoken about earlier-,the guides asked me-

'Ken, male or female giraffe?

Ken- nothing.  Blank stare.

"Ken, we told you what to look for,  Male or female?"

Ken- "Well, it looks dark so I think it is female."

"Ken, dark has nothing to do with it!  you can see by the horns and other indicia that it is male."

So I flunked my safari test.

All the other people in the safari were South Africans who had signed up as a group (the guide told me that most people who go on these walking safaris are from SA).  They could not have been nicer or more helpful to me, always trying to make sure I saw whatever animal was visible. I needed this help, as I never spotted anything.   The spotting ability of the guides was truly amazing.   At one point, the guide pointed out this aninal and then asked me-

"Ken, do you see it?:

Ken- "Yes, even I see it.  It would be pretty embarrassing to miss an elephant."

We did not see 3 of the big 5- no rhinos, leopards or water buffalo, tho we saw their tracks- but we did see lions.  Up close in fact...