Quick, head for the hills!

Now where else would one go with winter looming and the need to keep warm? Obviously up into the mountains!

After the heat of Kruger getting back to Joburg was refreshingly cool, or cold as some might say. A couple of weeks gave us time to catch up on a few things not to mention the washing and a nice hot bath! Eventually the distant mountains beckoned and it was time to set off again.

The closest point to reach would be the Royal Natal park and a return visit to Mahai campsite. Oh and not forgetting a visit to the truck stop at Harrismith to fill the tanks with cheap diesel, R8.08 as opposed to R8.24 the cheapest we could find back in Joburg.

How things change in just a couple of months since our last visit. We were greeted with a clear sky and beautiful views of the mountains and the Amphitheatre. Arriving near reception closing time we had a silly conversation with the guy on the gate to the park. It was only just 16h00 with 30 minutes till reception would shut. We asked what time reception closed and he said 16h30. Ah plenty of time we said. He seemed completely unsure of the time even when he checked our clock and told us to go straight to the campsite and pay in the morning as the office would be shut. Leaving him behind in his own little world we found reception open and were all paid up with 15 minutes to spare. Perhaps the park should buy the gate man a new clock or at least show him how to use one.

As hoped the campsite was almost empty, well until the weekend probably. The first night was cool and the temp dropped to 11c, no problem. The second night it dropped to 6c at a steady rate as soon as the sun was gone. We were fed, washed up, and in bed by about 18h30! Up in the tent we are fine. Well I am, Sue would wear all the clothes she has if she could and still be cold! The 3rd night was also cold but so far no icy wind to cope with, but I am sure that will come.

Last night we had a braai, well sort of. The wood we made the fire with looked good, well until we made charcoal out of it. It was a bugger to get going but gave no usefull coals. Sue ended up cooking the chicken kebabs in the frying pan and I eventually got the wors cooked next to heat of the flames from some newly lit wood. Oh what fun, ironically the thing that got the fire going best was all the fat dripping from the wors. They should soak the wood in it or make fire lighter out of the stuff!

The hiking here is good with many a destination to choose from. We have been good, yesterday and today been out for a 8 or 9km hike up in the lower hills. I think that tomorrow will be a day of rest, no point in over doing it. The sky has been blue and clear since our arrival, but a few clouds are around this afternoon. Would be nice if it stayed fair, cold nights are fine provided we get warned thru in the day. Keeps the solar and fridge happy too!

Today we paid for 3 more nights as we like it here. As to whether we will still be saying that come Monday after the place goes mad over the weekend, fingers crossed!

Some pics from the Kruger

A few pics from the park ...

http://picasaweb.google.com/wooliesonline/Kruger2010

Life after the Kruger

Our plan, well we did not really have one. So we decided to stop a night at Forever Resorts Swadini on the north eastern side of the Blyde River Canyon. It was ok, huge, not too busy, and nice ablutions, well I should think so for the price!

Today we did the tourist things and checked out the Blyde Canyon, and the other views in the area like Wonder View and God's Window. Now explain. Wonder View free. God's Window a small charge of R5 per vehicle. They are about 200m apart and look over the same view! Needless to say which one we chose!

Now it is back to Joburg. On the N12 as I write this. It has been a long day so far, 450km behind us 120km odd to go. Bloody windy, but sunny. Poor Mufasa has had a hard day with all the steep climbs he has done today. Seems like we have been going uphill all day!

Back in the big city a week or so to get an oil change and do some washing and shopping. Then probably down to the Drakensberg for a couple of weeks if it is not too cold!

Kruger - Tsendze, the end of the road

What a pleasure it always is to get back to Tsendze and the warm welcome of the staff there. However we knew that it meant our last 3 nights in the park.

It started well though. Halfway from Shingwedzi we had a sighting of 4 Lions. Mum and her 3 little ones. Well hidden about 10m from the road. She was sitting out the warm part of the day, the cubs were messing around. That would be our last Lion spot.

Camp was quiet on arriving Friday lunchtime and got busy Saturday night. Sunday it was quieter again. As the end was nigh we made an effort to get out of camp. Long game drives in the morning and a short drive in the evenings to watch the sun go down over the Tsendze river with a cool beer and some nuts.

Our favorite drive which we did Saturday and Sunday mornings was east of camp to the grassy plains at the Tihongoyeni waterhole on the S143 loop. The grass was very long this year and the masses of Zebra loved it. They were quite happy sharing their spot with the Wildebeest and Tsessebe. Oh and us. A perfect place for morning coffee and rusks, and the odd hundred photos!

There were plenty of young Zebra around, and the adults were playing their own games! It is great just to sit there and watch and listen. Best relaxation therapy available. We even had a sighting of 3 Side Striped Jackals, the rarer cousin of the Black Backed. Many an Elephant around too. Lone bulls and large herds. One herd had some very small ones to look out for. Their older sisters were very protective and we gave them plenty of space and only watched for a couple of minutes.

Before we knew it Monday morning had arrived and it was time for our 24 night visit to the park to come to an end. The drive out to the Phalaborwa gate was nice, quiet, but had its moments. We came across an old couple in their broken down pickup and had to notify the staff at the gate to rescue them. We also came across a throng of Vultures hacking away at an Impala carcass. What a sight, what a smell!

Then it was all over. Thru the gate and back to civilisation, or the zoo outside the park!

Kruger - Shingwedzi, the 2nd half

Its quite amazing to think that the much anticipated or dreaded long weekend is behind us. Just the looming month of May and pensioner concession time. Not a camping spot will be found anywhere for a month!

I think we must have seen our allowed animal quota in the first few days in the park. Even the birds seemed to have gone into hiding. The drive back to Shingwedzi was nice but uneventful. The camp was fairly quiet, but the warm weather had returned. Up in the mid thirties during the day and cooler come evening time, well if 28c at 18h00 can be described as cooler!

Plenty of lion activity in the area if all the evening and morning roaring was an indication. However none that we saw, except a lone male on leaving Shingwedzi on the drive to Tsendze. Also no sight or sound of the Giant Eagle Owls, shame.

We did however get our dose of excitement. Sitting mid afternoon relaxing, the birds started to chirp just next to us. Sue was suddenly up, 'snake!'. It appeared around the base of the tree where we were sat and proceed to hide under the pile of wood I had got out for the evening braai. It wasn't huge, perhaps 45cm long, but we later identified it as a young Mozambican Spitting Cobra! It may have been half its adult size but its spitting venom would still pack a mighty punch. They can spit up to 2.5m! I persuaded it to move on and made sure it was well away from us before I stopped following it.

The next day Sue came rushing back from the ablutions, she had seen the snake again. A bit different this time as it was in the process of swallowing a small bat! It would be like me trying to swallow a badger in one go! Well it eventually did, one big lump in it's belly. We left it to find somewhere quiet to sleep it off.

The pool at camp was a just the place to be late morning or early afternoon. Cold, but refreshing! We had to make use of it as no such luxury would be awaiting us back at Tsendze, just the option of a cold shower if needed.

As mentioned we had a brief glimpe of a male Lion on leaving the camp, but well past halfway to Tsendze we had a better sighting!