Nata Lodge

May 31, 2014

A typical village along the straight dry and dusty road to Nata

Having left the hotel in Francistown at 7 a.m. on my way to Kasane I stumbled across the Nata Lodge after a 2-hour drive near the dustbowl village of Nata, along the Nata River. It looked like the perfect place for a hearty morning meal and so it turned out to be. The sand leading up to the lodge would have been reminiscent of last year’s desert adventure in Peru on the motorbikes but a 4 x 4 eats this stuff for breakfast

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The wildlife draw is the thousands of flamingos visiting the saltpans every year. However due to higher than normal rainfall this year the water levels are too high for them to wade and forage. If everything works out as planned I should be back this way after Namibia. They will certainly be here in another month. The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large saltpan in the middle of the dry savanna of northeastern Botswana. It is one of the largest salt flats in the world and I don’t want to expose Godzilla to the metal eating tendencies of the pan. It is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi, which once covered an area larger than Switzerland, but dried up several thousand years ago.

 

Easy Rider.

Camping for the night was a reasonable $ 12.- and only 1 other spot was taken. Internet was also available albeit agonizingly slow. Photos take forever no matter how downsized. It gave me the perfect chance to do some much-needed laundry and enjoy the peace & quiet. At 2 p.m. however, 2 busloads of American teenagers arrived and set up camp right next to me. Given the age factor I think I am in for a noisy evening.

 

Camp Nubile within spitting distance from me

 

The attempt to cross the Botswana border

The Panorama B&B

After a big South African breakfast, which lasted me the whole day, I thanked my friendly hosts, left the Panorama B&B and headed straight for Francistown in Botswana while reading the road signs; Criminal Area. Do Not Stop. When I say “straight” I mean just that; 260 km to the border without a turn. Both sides of the road had either game reserves or game farms and seemed harmless. One species definitely not on the endangered list is the termite. These mounts are seen everywhere and engulfing a lot of the trees along the road. A 500 Rand diesel top up 6o km from the border should easily see me to Francistown. After a quick bathroom break I walked over to the attendant at the pump, verified that 500 Rand had gone into the truck and paid with my visa card. Interestingly the white lady who I asked about the location of the toilet told me: “It is right behind the building BUT it is for everybody”. What did that mean? For whites and blacks? A little ways down the road I realized that the truck was only ¾ full. The guy only put in about 250 Rand’s worth and probably dumped the rest in a jerry can while I was in the washroom. Sometimes you get hosed and there isn’t much you can do about it. Next time: no bathroom break until tanked up in full view. Arriving at the border I was pleasantly surprised with the lack of traffic. When the customs official asked me for my passport I reached for it in between the seat and the storage compartment, where I put it this morning in anticipation of the border crossing. I only saw an empty space. A double take. There was still only space. Panic buttons! I am frantically feeling around for it. Another confirmation; nothing! It is amazing what goes through your head at a time like that. How is it possible? I know I did not put it anywhere else. How can it be gone? Now what? It must have been taken while I was in the toilet but I’m almost sure I locked the doors. I keep 2 wallets; one for cash and one with US dollars, all my ID cards, yellow fever certificate, international driving license and passport in it. The one i use for cash I have in my pocket. Every time I get out of the car I make sure to lock the doors. I could only look at the officer sheepishly and tell the guy my wallet was stolen 60 km down the road. “Didn’t you lock the doors?” he asked. “Well… maybe not”. I wanted to slap my face to make sure I’m awake and trace my steps back. What to do? Turn around and confront the guy in the hope he will give me back at least my passport? False hope of course. After making a U-turn I am already making plans to go to Johannesburg and get a new passport from the Canadian Embassy. Journey kaput. Finished. I started to drive back the 60 km to the gas station. It cannot be; how is this possible? Criminal area or not, I pull over and open the passenger door to feel under the seat. Bingo! I touch something leathery. My wallet! It is hard to describe the feeling of elation. With the uneven surface of the road it must have vibrated loose and slipped under the seat. Phew and double phew! Make another U-turn to head to the border for the 2^nd time. Compared to the bedlam of the Middle American border crossings this one is a breeze. They did not even ask me for ownership documents and only for my license plate number. No wonder that there are so many stolen South African cars that disappear into Botswana. A $ 25.- fee covers road tax, multiple entry, a contribution to the road fund (whatever that maybe) and 3^rd party insurance for 3 months. Directly across the border are a couple of “Money Change” buildings. Since I have no Pula’s I change some US Funds. They guarantee the lowest exchange rate. At least they are forthright about ripping you off! The first 150 km in Botswana are an immediate test of the cars’ suspension. It is a straight road but I zigzag my way up the road trying to avoid the crater-like potholes everywhere. Optimistically the road signs indicate 120 km per hour but I can only do 60 km at best and 10 km in the very worst spots. The speedlimit posts must be intended for low flying helicopters. There is practically no traffic on the road, which means you can use both lanes darting back and forth. The sun beats down merciless on parched grasslands. You don’t want to be caught out with a flat tire in this area of virtual nothingness. Thankfully once I cross the main 2-lane highway from the capital Gabarone to Francistown it is smooth sailing but very busy. I checked into the overpriced and inept Riverside Tati River Lodge. It is one of those places that looks right by design but is lacking a competent staff. For dinner I ordered a glass of dry red wine with the “Braised Guinea Fowl” for my main dish. “We do not have the braised guinea fowl today but another chicken that tastes like guinea fowl” my waitress told me. Well… I’m keen to try since I really don’t know one Guinea Fowl from another. In less time then Mc Donald’s can say “There You Go” my dinner was served. The “fowl” part was bang on but it turned out to be a plateful of bones with a bit of meat attached to it. I sent it back and on recommendation ordered the fillet steak, which upon arrival turned out to be the size of my shoe but palatable. Half of it was all I could handle. That’s it. No more whining. The locals here are much darker, taller and bigger than any of the other places I have been. Two meters tall for men does not seem out of the ordinary. I feel like I have landed at an NBA (National Basketball Association) training camp. I am not able to load any more photos. The internet is dead slow in Botswana.

 

Limpopo

The camping spot in Skukuza right by the fence the hyenas patrol at night

Day by day I’m starting to develop more confidence in Godzilla. Trust does take time to earn. The engine should rev till the 4500 redline but when I push it to anymore than 3000 there are protests in the form of emphysema like cough forthcoming. You have to take it a little easier the same you would do with an old horse. Other than that the truck just purrs.

 

Afrikaners are a curious lot. They are hard to categorize and definitely different in temperament than Europeans or North Americans. The closest in culture would be the Australians, perhaps due to the fact of long isolation from the old homeland, wherever in Europe that may have been. There is a sense of proud identity. Of course it is a generalization but most Afrikaners I have met thus far seem to be quite inward looking. By this I mean that anything outside of South Africa is not really of any consequence. On the whole this reminds me of the proud American view of the world. I wonder;if a white Afrikaner would move to the USA would he be an considered African American? Mostly the feelings towards the black population are of a muted hostility and distrust in their morals and capabilities. This outlook is not entirely without reason. If you live your life behind bars (and the majority of the white population does) you start to wonder why. I know there are some Afrikaners reading this blog and if I am wrong about these assumptions, I am open to being rebuffed.

 

Having left Berg En Dal early I travelled through the rolling hills of Limpopo and had a well-deserved breakfast/lunch buffet at one of the many resorts along the way.

Endless sea of burned out sunflowers

After that I passed more game farms than I could count. Today my resting place is just outside the town of Naboomspruit, now known as Mookgopong . Just like going to the metric system from inches and feet, it will take a generation for the new names to take hold.

My room is on a mango and citrus farm and a very tranquil B&B for $ 30.- p/night. Tomorrow I will continue my journey to Kasane in Botswana and we will see how far we get.

 

Kruger – Berg en Dal

May 28, 2014

 Last nights bedtime was the same for me as everyone else in the campground. Most people are vast asleep by 8:30 and wake up at 5 to get ready for the morning game drive. At 6, when the gates open, there is a flurry of activity and everyone drives off in different directions. I did the same but ran out of juice in the camera while shooting some giraffes.

Since I had not had a descent breakfast for a few days I decided to head back to Sabie and check out the hippos from the restaurant I heard the previous night.

 

The Lower Sabie to Crocodile Bridge route is beautiful. Following a cut off to a Hippo pool I came across a ranger who offered to take me for a walk (gun in hand) and showed me some ancient eland carvings in the rocks. From there Godzilla wanted to take the dirt roads to Berg en Dal campground.

Some people going the other way motioned me to stop and told me about a pride of lions by the side of the road but by the time I got in the vicinity they were gone or at least out of sight. It’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time. —As I am writing this from my tent I hear, what is my 1^st lion growl with hyenas laughing incessantly. It is not a roar, which makes me believe he is defending a kill. Awesome is an overused word but applicable in this case. Five minutes later: silence. — Back to the morning drive; two large male elephants when rounding a corner shocked me for the 2^nd time in Kruger by appearing out of the bush just in front of me. You are well advised to be weary of these behemoths but you don’t see them coming. On the plains or salt flats you can but not here. I have seen a Kruger video on YouTube where an elephant crumpled up a car like a beer can. They shuffled up the road for a bit and then disappeared into the thick bush as if a mirage. Berg en Dal is only 20 km inside of the park.

This guy ( African Leopard Turtle) was  on the tarmac. I moved him the the bush where he was happy.

I needed diesel fuel and a new USB to cigarette lighter adapter to charge my phone and Go Pro, as the one I got from E-Bay no longer functioned. When I got ready to pay I reached for my credit card that was no longer there. The slit in the wallet was not as tight as it used to be and it must have fallen out when I paid cash for something the previous day, along with my Dutch public transport card. At Berg en Dal I called VISA and cancelled the card. Fortunately I have another one, which must now be guarded scrupulously. Un-Fortunately my stint at Kruger has come to an end. Depending on the swiftness of Botswana customs, I will try to make the 650 km tomorrow, which means an early departure.

 

Kruger -Sabie

May 27,2014

Just an idea of the bungalows available at $ 98.00 p/night

The Go-Pro camera is turning out to be a big disappointment. It can be controlled via my phone but the battery life is no more than 20 minutes with the Wi-Fi on. Since you are not allowed to get out of the car in Kruger I have to put the camera on top of the car when leaving the campground. By the time I come across anything worth filming the battery is empty. In contrast the $ 30.00 dash-cam that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket and works a charm. The quality is not that great but acceptable, certainly for the price. The Go Pro was 20 times more expensive

 

. The morning was overcast and compared to yesterday there was a lot less game to see. I arrived at Berg en Dal campground at 2 p.m. At the reception I found out that Lower Sabie was scheduled for today and Berg en Dal for tomorrow. My fault. I asked them if they could switch it around but Sabie is full for tomorrow. Seeing there was enough time to arrive by 5:30 when the gates close, I decide to take the dirt road loop to Sabie. This amounted to 66 km instead of 43 km. No big deal. However, I’m learning as I go not to count anything out in Africa. On my way out, what looked like, (giving the location) the same huge lone bull I came across yesterday was roaming around the tall grass. The speed limit on the tar roads is 50 km. For dirt roads it is 40 km but at that speed everything raddles apart due to the constant washboard and rocky surface. You really should not exceed 30 km for your safety and the animals. The bush along this dirt road is really thick and elephants would appear out of nowhere. There was a lot of wildlife to be seen; especially tommies and springbok would dart out in front of me regularly. In addition there were giraffes, wildebeests, rhinos, and above all, the many elephants.

These are the rock formations known as “KOPJES”and are seen all over this area

They are very unpredictable and seem docile one minute and cantankerous the next. At one time when pretty well surrounded by a herd on both sides of the road, one of them took exception at me and started running towards me. When I gave it some gas he ran along beside the truck at a distance of 25 to 30 meters, ears flapping and loudly trumpeting a tune Louis Armstrong would have been proud of. I tried to take a shot   but I had my telephoto lens on the camera and he was too close to get a full shot of him out of the window. You will be surprised how quickly they can move. I estimate my speed to have been 25 km. A cameraman would have come in handy as I had my hands full. 

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Twenty minutes later, when encountering a new herd in the middle of the road I waited at a respectable distance for them to move onwere antagonizing me as a mother refused to let me pass due to a calf that was blissfully munching away. Every time I tried to pass she would move forward and obstruct my way. In the meantime it was getting dark and the last thing I wanted is to be locked out of the campground and face a fine. There was no place to turn around either so all I could do was back up. It was a waiting game but only after close to an hour the calf started to move into the bush and she let me pass.

The Perpetrator

There were many photo opportunities but I had to hurry and blew past everything I saw. I arrived at dusk hungry and tired. The restaurant here at Sabie is a half moon shape overlooking the Crocodile River. While munching on my burger I could here the hippos snort but could not see anything. People have had contact with lions around the camp today but I have not seen or heard any yet. Tonight again, the eerie sounds of the hyenas are omnipresent with the occasional hippo snorts thrown in. The camp is fenced but it is still makes you feel vulnerable when lying in the sleeping bag listening to the many sounds of the bush. It is a privilege to be able to experience. The restaurant opens tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. for breakfast; I will be there right on time to check out the location.

 

 

Kruger Park – Skukuza

Out of jail driving toward Kruger

 

Cerval

First thing in the morning I left my jail and headed for Kruger Park. Don’t think of High Park or Central Park; this park is the size of England minus the Isle of Man. You cannot drive in 1 day from the bottom to the top. All I can say is wow, wow and wow! I’m totally in awe of the place. Because “wow” alone does not tell much of a story I will try and bring the experience into words. Immediately upon entering the park from the south at the Malelane gate, once again I found myself in a completely different world. Only yesterday evening I booked online and found there was 1 available camping spot left, in Skukuza, the oldest and largest camp in the park, lying 70 km from the gate. This campground dates back to the late 1800’s. There is a store here, a restaurant, internet (@% $ 10. – p/hour) and laundry facilities. Tomorrow I will stay at the Berg and Dal and Wednesday at Lower Sabie camps.

Baby and juvenile

Every camp is different and has its own unique allure. After Wednesday the camps are fully booked again until next week, which means I unfortunately have to leave here after 3 days. If you want to stay a week you have to book months in advance for good reason; Kruger is the National Parks crown jewel and without a doubt the best known park in South Africa, only a five-hour drive from Johannesburg.

The wildlife and its variety are more than plentiful. It would be great to spend a month here. Many people do just that and longer. The retired community comes with satellite dishes in their caravans and stay for months at a time. From the tarred roads running through the park there is lots to see. I am so glad I have my own vehicle and don’t have to jockey for space among 12 other people in a Safari truck. Some of the 4×4 crowd in South Africa scoffs their nose at Kruger.

They reason that because of the tarred roads and amenities in the campgrounds it is not considered true wilderness. I like the fact you can buy provisions and gasoline at the campgrounds. Chobe and the Kalahari maybe rougher but I doubt that there are as many animals there per sq. km as in Kruger. We will see. For now I am in heaven here. Parked right at the fence surrounding the campground, I can hear the hyenas calling while writing these notes in the dark.

The sounds of the bush at night are mesmerizing, even though I have heard no lions calling nor did I see any today.

Tonight is a new moon and the sky is star filled, cold and clear. A single hyena controls the boundaries of the fence three meters away from me and slinks back into the dark. Kruger has many campgrounds and lodges that seem to be full year around but everyone here respects the solitude and you hardly hear a voice. By 8 p.m. people are readying themselves for sleeping and getting up before dawn. Traffic on the tar road is minimal and the campers seem to be happy for the most part to stay in the campground during the hotter parts of the day. Dirt roads leading off of the main roads are, at least at the moment during the “slow” season, not being used. I did not encounter one vehicle during my off- road excursions.

Creeping along on the 1^st off-road drive about 20 km inland, I turned a corner and startled a huge lone male elephant. I don’t know who was more shocked; me or the elephant. If my camera would have been handy, I would have had a shot of his underbelly. He was massive and no more than 8 meters from the truck as he thankfully scurried of into the bushes. It is amazing how an animal this big can disappear in a matter of seconds.

There will be many, probably too many, shots of wildlife but the primary reason for coming to Africa has been to experience the animals in their natural habitat. Although they serve a purpose, it is incomparable to going to a zoo. From meercats to elephants; every animal seems to be bigger than life in the wild. You can only imagine what life and mere survival would have been like for our early ancestors and Neanderthals, by getting just a glimpse of true raw nature. It is remarkable we survived as a species and we almost did not. If you can afford it, come and see this place once in your life! It is a down to the bone enriching and making this place very, very special indeed.

 

 

Short video of the cheetah rehabilitation centre

Fish eagles taking off. These birds mate for life. When one dies so does they other. Valiant birds!

If this link does not work let me know:

 

 

Emdoneni Lodge

May 24, 2014

The trip is starting to take on a life of its own. My aim was to make it to Piet Retief, about halfway between St Lucia and the Kruger Park.  75 km from St Lucia a sign on the highway caught my eye. It indicated directions to a lodge with a breeding and rehabilitation program for cheetahs. It sounded interesting enough to warrant a closer look.

African Wildcat – They look like your regular tabby.These cats only come into season once a year

The owner offered me a room with dinner & breakfast for $50. -, which was hard to turn down judging by the understated opulence of the place.  Just the dinner turned out to be worth that amount and the breakfast buffet was icing on the cake. The proceeds of the lodge and the tour of the 4 types of cats in house is enough to cover the breeding program. You also have a chance to adopt one of these animals for life, which means you pay for everything it needs during its life, just like you would if you kept a cat at home. Keeping these kinds of animals is an expensive proposition. Besides food (zebra) the cats have to stay healthy. Regular visits from vets costs about $ 1,000.- per day.  Litters are being kept away from the public. This way they won’t get too used to humans and are scheduled for release into the wild once they are fully weaned.

 

A couple of the cheetahs were as tame as your house-cat and although unnatural, a lot of fun to be around.  

Many people are coming through here just to interact with the cats.

The fellow showing us around used to work at the Kruger Park as a ranger and had been attacked there by a leopard 4 years ago. The attack was severe enough for him to spent 3 months in hospital and left some nasty scars. My unexpected stop over at the Emdoneni Lodge does mean it will probably take another 2 days to get to Kruger. I just want to follow my nose and not be in a hurry. The buffet dinner was a 5 star affair including Waldorf salad. I could not get the hilarious  “Faulty Towers” sketch out of my head with John Cleese, highlighting a Waldorf salad. Only middle aged and up couples occupied the tables.  There was no socializing. I learned tonight once again, that I really cannot go anywhere without my glasses anymore. For desert I piled some chocolate brownie and what I thought to be raspberries and peaches on top. The raspberries turned out to be red beet compote with peaches. I like red beets but not for desert covered in chocolate sauce. That explains why this dish was at the salad bar instead of the desert table. Nice going Mr. D!

 

 May 25,2014

 

Today I got my head down and we drove 800 km to end up in the nightmarish town of Barberton. I say we because Godzilla and I have a lot in common. We are both way past our prime and covered enough distance to drive around the world 10 times.  Neither of us like to climb mountains but we will if we have to. We are not as strong as we used to be and both need a top up every so often. In other words we can identify with each other. Due to a stop of over an hour waiting for roadwork I ended in twilight near Kruger Park. I really do not want to drive in the dark, especially in this area. The hotel I am in is as horrible as the lodge was wonderful. It’s a good thing I have some food in the truck because I’m not setting one foot out of the door here. You can feel the vibe from the car. Poor blacks and destitute whites don’t make a good combination for safety. The hotel is a jail with a bitchy owner. Unfortunately I have no choice and that’s partly what adventure is; to be out of your comfort zone.

 

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Today was a day of getting in some miles. Tomorrow will be an exploration of the Kruger Park.

 

WILD LIFE – Cape Vidal Video

Some people were complaining that they could not open the link; here’s another link to the short video:

 

Crocs doing what they do best

Crocodiles can incredibly enough, go 2 years without food. They don’t like it but they can.