Suffice it to say the weather was not cooperating yesterday. Cold, light rain kept shifting to mist and back again all morning. We bundled up in rain jackets or ponchos and headed out after coffee. Despite the cold, I felt warm and cozy; the movements and sounds of the land rover crunching over the ground kept putting me to sleep. Soon we made our first sighting of the morning: two huge elephants walking along the road. We drove along side them for a little while and watched them eat and meander. Next we came upon a group of four lionesses three of which were lying in a group just like kittens. Not far from the lionesses we found the same male lions we’d followed the previous night. They were relaxing and looked so innocent. You could visibly see one’s eyes become little slits and his head bobbing on the verge of sleep. On our way back, we came upon another group of elephants. One of which was very old, probably around fifty, and the other was still young and learning from the older one, sort of like a mentoring situation. The number of folds in the skin and humps on the backs were markedly different between the two.

We came back a little early for breakfast and sat in the main lodge near the fire, which was especially nice after being somewhat chilled from the weather. Carmin and I downloaded and responded to email while we waited for breakfast. The banquet table had been laid out with plates, silverware, and a fruit basket at this point. A vervet monkey dashed into the lodge, hopped onto the banquet table, and snatched a couple of bananas. Carmin and I noticed too late to either chase him off or grab a camera (As I was writing this – no kidding – another monkey came and stole some of the lunch rolls! Wow)! Later one brought over her baby and sat perched atop the branch of a nearby tree, watching us. It was so cute and fascinated me.

After breakfast, Mike was nice enough to give us a great interview describing his job as a guide which should be debuting on the site pretty soon. Everyone went their own way for a few hours and reconvened at lunch. We sat discussing our South African itineraries, pouring over a map and making notes of our thoughts. I have no doubt that these trips will be a great deal of fun and I am already planning to come back with my family and Justin.

It was just about time for high tea when we were done with our meeting and not long before we head out for our final afternoon safari with Mike. It was obvious he and Jerry were on a mission as soon as we climbed into the vehicle. We stopped only once, very briefly, to watch three mongooses cross the road. Being close to the front of the land rover, I was able to see Mike anxiously biting his thumb nail. He stopped the vehicle and both he and Jerry jumped out, discussing droppings they noticed on the ground. Both were very quiet and communicated in the local tribal language (Shangaan) so we were unaware of just what was going on. The anticipation was killing me! Moments later and a brief trip down twisting dirt roads, Mike slowed and shouted, “here! There!” all the while pointing and edging the vehicle forward. Then he exclaimed, “Buffalo!“ That was all we needed to hear. Raucous cheers erupted from inside the land rover. This was it, we had seen all of the Big 5.

As we edged nearer, Mike told us that the group members were female buffalo with their young. He also told us they’re quite dangerous, possibly the most dangerous of the Big 5 because, unlike elephants, they won’t simply trample you. They will absolutely gore you. He told us that he’d been charged by one in Botswana. He and his friend had to fire two shots into her just to bring her to the ground. After an autopsy had been preformed, they found that she was lactating and her baby had died, hence she was in a rage, Mike just so happened to be nearby.

He guessed (accurately) that the males would be nearby and hurriedly drove through brush and trees, bringing us face to face with a group of bulls. They are so massive and odd looking to me. We watched them for a while as they moved off into a thicket, peering out at us from their hiding place. Mike drove us back toward the females, which we watched for a while longer.

In jovial, triumphant spirits we left the buffalo to graze. Soon we came upon a female hyena that appeared to be hunting a group of male impala. This is unusual because she is at a disadvantage due to the number of kudu and the fact that they have horns. However, Mike said she appeared very hungry so may be willing to take the risk. The males bounded away and she noticed us. Normally the hyenas we’ve seen have been skittish of the land rover, but not this one. She pranced right up to the side of the vehicle where Dennis was snapping photos of her. She moved her head from side to side before bending to a crouch. I swore she was about to spring into the vehicle. She edged closer to my door and I became quite frightened. Jerry had a spotlight which he shined into her eyes causing her to flee. Yikes!

Further on we spotted a rhino trotting in the grass parallel to the road. He ran ahead of us then turned and began running toward us. I thought this would be the end for sure! As the rhino headed for us, Mike killed the vehicle engine and placed a hand on his rifle. Luckily the rhino changed his mind and turned (on a dime!) to head in a different direction. After he left, Mike told us it was a black rhino. Black rhinos are much more aggressive than white rhinos and can run at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. Jerry, who sits atop a seat bolted to the hood of the vehicle, was surprised and a little scared. He confessed he’d only been calm because he thought it was a white rhino.

We drove onto a hill that rose high above the surrounding area. The air was chill and high wind whipped around us. It was pitch black at this point but far in the distance, many miles away, there was a string of lights pressed onto the horizon. It was the first sign of civilization, of a town, I’d seen in several days. To some this might seem annoying, and I admit it may otherwise have rubbed me the wrong way, but at that moment I felt a sense of happiness, of warmth, hope and gratefulness. I felt a sense of connectedness to both the world and to humanity, to the people in that little village that I’ll never meet and all those beyond it.

Dinner was a special event as it would be our last for the trip and in South Africa. I think all four of us had impala steak for the same reason, who knows when or if we’ll ever have it again? It was delicious as was the dessert.

Today is our final day here. A small, chartered plane will take us from the Sabi Sabi landing strip to Johannesburg International Airport and we’ll go our respective ways – I to New York and the others connecting through DC to their respective homes (Carmin in Seattle, Dan in Billings, and Dennis in St. Louis). This trip has been very special. I hope you’ve all enjoyed the photographs and the blog entries. I definitely encourage everyone to come to South Africa. Carmin has done a fantastic job with the different itineraries (family or adult) so if you make it an Austin-Lehman trip, I have no doubt it will be an experience you will cherish and remember forever. I know I will, and I truly hope someday (in the not too distant future) to come back with my family to this country teaming with beauty, wilderness, and culture.

Sorry for the delay! After breakfast yesterday we went for a bush walk with our guide, Mike. He spotted animal paw prints in the dirt and taught us how to identify the animal from the different shapes of the prints. He also pointed out different plants that are edible (some have berries that can be eaten as they are or dried and eaten or even boiled into tea) to a flowering creeper whose leaves make great shampoo for hair as they are loaded with vitamin E. If I could remember half of what I saw, I think I would have a chance of surviving in the African wilderness! As we tread across the bush he picked up a large snail with a shell which looked so out of place away from the ocean but occurs in this part of world naturally. We came to a gigantic termite mound so we all climbed on top (me, Carmin, Dan, Mike and a guy from New York name Eric who was in our group) for a quick photo. There are so many termite mounds here and many of them, as one may expect, are around trees. I thought the termites built their nests around the trees for nourishment, but the story is quite the opposite. The termite mounds are nutrient and nitrogen rich, so trees actually grow from them and not the other way around!

When we returned from our walk we decided to visit each of the different Sabi Sabi properties for a survey. Little Bush Camp (where we are staying) and Bush Camp were my two favorites because of the rustic, laid back appeal. We had a wonderful lunch at Bush Camp before heading to see the last lodge and returning to ours just before high tea and our afternoon game drive. The lodge we’re staying in reflects the modern African safari style with lovely thatched roofs, spacious bathrooms, and great amenities. My absolute favorite thing about our lodge is the people. They are so cheerful, friendly and humorous. They can make a joke out of almost any situation and truly give the place a fun, comfortable feeling.

On our afternoon drive we headed straight for the Sabi River. It is incredibly wide and bone dry. Mike tells us that it usually gets flowing in March and continues throughout autumn. We saw lots of beautiful impalas and quite a few little babies nestled among the herd, safe from predators. They were so adorable and can jump incredibly high for their size! Hyenas seemed to be on the prowl as we saw two or three one was even walking along the road with absolutely no regard for the looming vehicle!

As we drove quickly down the road in the darkness Mike hit the brakes. Something large and grey was blocking the road ahead of us. It turned out to be a massive elephant bum belonging to Frank. He’s been known to charge vehicles. Mike managed to shoo him away but as soon as he we drove passed him he let out a great trumpeting cry. I pictured him furiously stampeding us at any moment. Luckily, we were safe and continued onward.

Moments later we encountered the male lions from the morning drive, but this time they were on the prowl and not laying innocently beside the road. We followed them for quite some time. More than once Mike pulled the car in front of them, causing them to walk right passed us. I have to admit, it was a little bit frightening, especially when one would look right up at you as it passed. I huddle closely to Carmin for fear of a giant paw swatting me to my doom. Dan confided to being a little intimidated as well, though he continued to hold one of the cameras out of the vehicle to acquire photos of the beautiful animal as it walked by. We followed the animals into a large field where one laid down. Mike told us it wouldn’t be long before we got to hear what a real roar was like and that the television really didn’t do it justice. He wasn’t kidding! The lion’s roar was loud and deep, vibrating the floor boards beneath our feet. We were quite close to him and I began to worry that our presence was getting on his nerves. Mike informed us that he was merely announcing his presence and claiming his territory. I didn’t want to give him any reason to think we were challenging him so I admit I felt a bit relieved when we all drove away safely.

When we returned to the lodge we were bursting with excitement and browsing through photographs from our lion encounter. We showed both Etienne and Leanna (managers at the lodge) the photographs and video we’d managed to take. We had a nice dinner and went off to bed to prepare for the next morning.

We have settled down at Sabi Sabi Little Bush Camp in Kruger, thus living the safari lifestyle. Since our schedule has changed so has my timing for updating the blog. We are on the hunt for animal sightings by 6 AM with downtime in the middle of the day (i.e. blog and photo update time) followed by an afternoon safari and then dinner.

I am not a fan of traveling for long periods at a time because I often get motion sick. Yesterday we drove from Madikwe to Johannesburg with a brief stop to look at souvenirs and use the restroom facilities. I also grabbed some more souvenirs (wow, I feel like a broken record). By the time we arrived at our small charter jet terminal, I was not feeling my best. You can imagine how happy I was to discover that hors doeuvres, fruit, and drinks were waiting for us as well as a comfortable area to relax and wait for our flight. I have never flown on a plane that small! There were maybe 12 seats and I literally had to bend over at the waist to shuffle down the aisle. I really felt like we were going into the wild at that point! The plane encountered a small bit of turbulence during the flight and fluttered like a moth caught in a wind current but most of the time it was fine and the flight was only an hour long. I decided to take a nap and woke up at the perfect moment just before we touched down in Sabi Sabi. The four of us (Carmin, Dennis, Dan and myself) were the only passengers to get off at this stop. The plane would be making two or three other stops before heading back to Johannesburg.

We were picked up from the landing strip by our guide for the next few days, Mike. He is such a character! Not only is he funny and enthusiastic (that is an understatement), you can really tell he loves what he is doing. His knowledge regarding plants, insects, reptiles, birds, mammals and stars is close to encyclopedic! I think we all find him absolutely mesmerizing. On the way to the lodge, we saw a hippo mostly submerged in a pond right off the little dirt road. He repeated a pattern of surfacing and sinking beneath the water. Every time he arose, he snorted from his large nostrils and spun his ears like little windmills. He was so cute! I am really glad we got to see a hippo. They’re such neat animals!

We came to our rooms which are quite lovely – large, comfortable, with a nice big bathroom, and AIR CONDITIONING (a rarity in the bush) and then had some quick tea before heading out on safari. What a brilliant experience. The land here is so pretty green and open one moment and the next there are flowering trees and rocky beds. We drove very near a pack of white rhinos grazing and watched little birds light on the rhinos backs and heads and peak in their ears. Mike told us some incredibly interesting facts about the white rhinos, such as they can run up to 45 km/hour, drink 70 liters of water per day and eat 100 kg of grass. They have a 16 month gestation period and their calves suckle for four years!!! I guess we have it pretty good as humans. Despite their weight (a female can be 1.5 tons and a male 2.7 tons) they are very bouncy and light in appearance when they trotted away.

It wasn’t long after we left the rhinos that we came upon a beautiful leopard cub (approximately 1 year old) relaxing beneath a tree. She yawned, stretched, and decided to hunt impalas. We learned that leopards can run up to 90 km per hour and that they shave the fur off their kill, disembowel them, and drag the carcasses into trees to keep them away from other predators. It was amazing to follow the young leopardess on her hunt. She slowly snuck up a small hill and crouched low so as to be obscured by brush before carefully approaching the impalas. She had inched her way closer when, suddenly, a hyena darted out of nowhere! Hyenas prey on young cubs who cannot yet defend themselves. In a flash the leopard was up a tree. The hyena circled the tree for a bit before moving off. It was absolutely surreal to watch the reality of nature in action. As the sun lowered in the sky it cast golden light over the world. At that point, there was no more beautiful vision than the young leopardess balancing effortlessly in the tree, bathed in warm light and peering into the sunset. We watched her for a while longer before heading out for our sundowner. The sunset that evening was the most beautiful I’ve seen in months, painting the sky with pinks, reds, and blues against a soft, cloudy texture sky. It made the perfect backdrop for our sundowner.

On the way back to the lodge, Jerry (the tracker that rode with us, perched on a seat atop the hood of the land rover) spotted an owl in the tree. We were able to watch it swoop from limb to limb until it was too far away to see and too much in the thicket to pursue. Mike spotted a scorpion and hopped out of the vehicle. I swear, in that moment he was just like an excited kid that possessed uncanny knowledge. He described the scorpion to us as he nudged it with the toe of his boot. The scorpion responded with repeated lashes from his tail. Just before we arrived back at the lodge, we made one more stop. There was a chameleon hanging out in a tree, so Mike grabbed her and she crawled all the way to the top of his head. He said they always try to make it to the highest point. Dan, Carmin, and I took turns holding her and letting her climb all the way up our heads. When we arrived at the lodge, it was just about time for dinner. We were served butternut squash soup, kudu steak, and chocolate pizza before hitting the hay.

This morning I made it to the main lodge just in time to grab a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin for the road. Mike almost immediately found two male lions laying around, relaxing. Man they have massive heads! One was scarred from previous battles, though he was only around 4 years old. It was so neat to see their manes and the size of their paws. As we watched them resting tiny droplets of rain began to fall on us. It wasn’t long before we were enveloped in a full scale shower. We made it back to the lodge somewhat dry thanks to the ponchos that Mike had for us. We sat around conversing for a while, waiting for the rain to let up. It is now time for a full breakfast, so I am going to stop here and hurry off to join the others. I’ll write again tomorrow.

Here is a video we made of the lion cubs from Madikwe playing togther.

This entry will be brief as there is a thunder storm still rumbling overheard. I dislike logging things out of order, but this simply has to be mentioned first. We had our first elephant sighting today! It was more than a sighting, really, as the elephant couldn’t have been more than 30 feet from us and we were able to watch him for a while as he ate, urinated (hey, it is reality) and trampled over small trees and brush. What a great animal, both in size and appearance. Watching him was certainly the highlight of my day.

This morning I was once again awakened by coffee in my room. We had a quick breakfast and were out in the saddle again, riding our horses to view the sable antelope which are bred on the property. Helen (one of the property managers) is a specialist on the breeding process and the sable. She accompanied us and explained the endangered status of the animals as well as their behavior. I have to admit, though I was with three guides that are very experienced around these animals, it was still a little frightening to watch the dominant male sable thrash bushes and trees with his horns. He was not afraid of us at all. Often he approached us, threateningly, only abandoning his approach when our horses backed away.

We had brunch after our ride and bid a fond farewell to Ant’s Nest and the wonderful employees. A long, four hour drive and kilometer after kilometer of dirt roads led us to Madikwe Game Reserve and Jaci’s Lodge. We scarcely had time to view our rooms before afternoon tea was served and we were off on safari. We had a very productive afternoon. We spotted elephants more than once, zebra, kudu, blue wildebeest, and impala. We were also able to see wild dogs, which Carmin told me are perhaps the most rare animal to see in South Africa. They are really pretty too. Near the Madikwe landing strip, we observed a “journey” of giraffes. While we were there, a small chartered plane arrived on the runway causing a jackal to dart into the bush.

Our goal for the afternoon was to locate lions, in which we were definitely successful. Luckily, the mother killed a zebra close to the road and had dragged it behind a nearby tree. There were four cubs lying about and playing while the mother gnawed on the carcass. The sounds were some of the strangest, most memorable I’ve ever heard. There were spine tingling cracks as the powerful teeth of the mother lion obliterated the zebra’s bones and a deep, satisfied purring. Our wildlife guide, David, informed us that the lions are lighter colored than one might expect because, though they naturally occur in this area, their ancestors are from a dessert area of Africa.

We were able to continue with the African sundowner tradition before heading back to the lodge for dinner. What an enjoyable string we’ve had of great company and wonderful meals. We had a choice of lamb or chicken tonight and baked cheesecake for dessert. As we were eating our pre-dinner salads, a thunderstorm burst through the sky to pour down onto us, forcing our meal to move under cover. The rains continue even now, as we’re safely tucked into the cozy and rustic luxury of our private hut. Tomorrow we’re heading to Kruger Park for our final few days in South Africa.

This has been another exceptional day. I awoke at 6:30 to the sound of an employee of Ant’s Nest Lodge bringing coffee into my room. That’s my kind of wakeup call! I showered quickly and headed down to breakfast where our table had been set with a variety of freshly baked croissants, cereals, fruit, yogurt, and the old fashioned English breakfast of beans on toast- delicious!

Our morning activity was a horseback safari. You can get so much closer to animals on horseback than you can in a vehicle or by simply walking. Carmin explains that this is because the animals feel like you must be less of a threat if another animal trusts you. I can only describe our horseback safari experience as magical. Ant (the owner) guided us through the property which is over 50,000 acres. We came upon a gathering of giraffe and followed them for quite some time. Ant helped us flush them out of the trees into a clearing so we could view them better. At one point, we were literally sitting in the middle of an open field with zebra to one side of us and giraffe to another. It was incredible! Not only were we seeing and experiencing these animals in their natural environment, but we were almost a part of their herd. It was great to watch the giraffes run. They’re so graceful, which is in direct opposition to what I would have thought they’d look like when running. After a few hours we spotted a herd of eland before Peter radioed Ant, telling him he’d just seen white rhinos about one kilometer from where we were. It wasn’t long before our horses were standing in front of the massive, horned animals. My goodness, they were amazing. Their horns are actually made of fibrous hair! I love the way these animals look because they’re so otherworldly, they have massive bodies and smaller feet (in comparison) plus their ears are shaped just like tulips. We were able to approach them both on our horses and on foot. Dan even dared to get in front of the rest of us to snap some photographs while Carmin and I followed Peter, one of our guides (with his Jack Russell Terrier, Josh, always at his side).

After we spent a while watching the rhinos we were whisked away by jeep to a hilltop lunch with a spectacular northerly view. Thunderheads were moving in so Ant radioed the lodge to bring a covered vehicle. Our lunch was delicious! We ate baked potatoes, pork chops and eland sausage, all cooked on a bbq (or as they say it in South Africa, a brie) over an open flame. The wind grew fierce and before long the storm had reached us, large drops of water struck as we quickly put the dishes away and headed for the lodge. What a gorgeous site it was rain falling over the rolling green hills, the bright blue pool below erupting in a visual symphony of rainfall splashing onto the surface.

We were all free to do our own thing for the next three hours. I took the opportunity to relax in my room’s enormous tub which I filled with bath salts and bubbles. By 4 PM the rain had subsided and we all met for tea and sweet bread before heading out on our evening jeep safari. It wasn’t long before we’d spotted giraffes again. Carmin was on her mountain bike pursuing them when Ant radioed to make us aware he’d spotted rhino, so we headed out to meet him. Both Dan and Carmin hopped on bicycles this time and Dennis got some truly lovely shots of my traveling companions with those massive grey beasts.

Helen, Peter, and Ant drove us to the same area we’d been the evening before to watch the sunset and have a drink. In South Africa, a “sun downer” is a drink taken at the time the sun sets in the evening. Tonight it was made even more special because some giraffe crept from the surrounding bush toward the clearing where we were sitting. It was a lovely evening but not yet over. The air had gotten quite chill from the rain, so we wrapped ourselves in blankets or pulled on our jackets on the way back to the lodge. Upon arriving, I discovered that the fireplace inside my suite was blazing and dinner was nearly ready to be served. We all gathered outdoors with Ant and Tessa (his wife, co-owner, and decorator extraordinaire) who joined us for wine around a bonfire they’d built and a delicious dinner in a private area of the lodge. It was fantastic as we had lamb, creamy scalloped potatoes, and cheesecake, all accompanied by South African wine and delightful conversation.

Our morning tomorrow begins with a horseback ride to see sable antelope, which are bred on this property followed by brunch before we head to our next safari adventure a short (2 or so hour) drive away.