South African Adventures

So I wrote this blog a month ago and never got around to posting it! Better late than never I suppose…

Well I thought I’d finish off my African adventure with a bang and that we did! My three friends Melissa, Christina and Lindsay and I headed up north from Durban (where the ship is now docked) to Kruger, one of the top safari spots in Africa. In our big white whale (really a massive Honda accord that fit most of our luggage for the past year) we trekked our way up to the north eastern most part of South Africa called Kruger Park.

First stop: Transfrontier Africa – an NGO dedicated to conservation and research, or basically, two research guys named Craig and John that will change your views on African life – or at least offend you a little! They do safari’s on the side (in addition to their work tracking the animals and keeping the safari reserve running) to raise money for their conservation projects, and they were an experience to remember to say the least. Christina, Lindsay, Melissa and I spent two nights sleeping in these lovely tree houses high above the animals (for safety) and enjoyed a little rustic African bush experience. Literally every time I turned over in my bed the whole house shook on its stilt frame.  It made for a fun experience.

We also enjoyed the company of Eva, John and Craig’s adopted Mongoose who keeps the camp safe. Eva once killed a Black Mamba snake on the grounds and carried around the snake’s head for a week. She kept us all safe and is appropriately named after Hitler’s wife. She would not stop biting us the entire weekend. 

Eva also liked to meander in the bathroom (which out in the open sky was quite amazing. This was probably the best view I’ve ever had while using the loo!) Here is Lindsay checking out the open air facility.

We so very much enjoyed the company of Craig and John. They both smoke like chimneys and drink liquor like it’s going out of style. Craig was incredibly rough around the edges and had an interesting take on life after spending the last 15+ years in Africa working to save these animals that are being hunted. They cooked us amazing dishes like steak and couscous with South African "chakalaka" under the star-filled sky and we all got to know them both a bit. Craig said that while he was from the UK originally, half his soul is here in Africa and it’s soaked in rum! Some highlights:

Spotting zebra, African buffalo, and giraffe galore. They were amazing and right there in front of us! We saw so many more animals as well – elephants, impala, kudu, warthogs, and others that I can't even name.

On our last game drive our safari car broke down and we literally had to push! Conveniently, it was just when the white rhino spotting came on over the radio. Our car Lazarus was named appropriately as after a group prayer the car started again and we were on our way.

One of the girls spotted the rhino with her amazing eagle eyes and we veered off the road, taking trees and shrubbery out to see him in all his rhino glory. Interestingly, we learned that a gram of ground rhino horn powder goes for more than a gram of cocaine in these parts, as rhino powder is used as an aphrodisiac. Hhhmmmmm....

Next up we went to Gomo Gomo, a more luxurious safari experience and just as much fun but in a completely different way. After our first day there we joked that the four of us were on honeymoon, as every other couple there sure was! The bush here was much more flat and arid and the animals quite different.

There were SO many elephants everywhere!

….and we got to see lions mating as well as herds of rhinos, baboons, and my all time favorite the bush baby. I think the movie gremlins was inspired after these little guys. There was a huge watering hole at our lodge and one day a herd of 50+ elephants came over to get a drink. Here we are with the elephants.

Johan was our guide this time around, and he grew up on a ranch where tourists came in to shoot animals like lions and rhinos. His view on conservation and game shooting was the exact opposite of Craig and John’s from our previous stint. Many people still shoot the animals (in a controlled environment) as they say some of these elephants are overpopulating the land and changing the ecology making it hard for other animals to survive. These people travel to Africa and pay thousands of dollars to shoot the animals, and that money goes back into conservation of the safari areas within Kruger. It was really interesting to see the two contrasting viewpoints and try out both very different experiences. I don’t think I know enough of the bigger picture to make up my mind yet on how I feel about game shooting, but I sure learned a lot this week!

For the full set of my safari adventure photos you can click here

I finished off my South African experience with a quick weekend in Cape Town. We said goodbye to Melissa and Christina and Lindsay and I headed down south to check out all that the Captonians love.  We had an amazing day of biking in wine country (with perhaps a tad bit too much wine tasting)

We also visited Robbin Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for years during apartheid, and we had a day of driving to the Cape of Good Hope where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean with Murray

It was an amazing week of travel and I’ve loved every minute of my time here in South Africa. It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with good friends and see the beauty of South Africa before heading home. As I write this I am at the airport in Cape Town and leaving this continent for at least the next while. I know I will be back someday. I’m not sure when or in what capacity, but no worries Africa, I’ll see you soon!