It's been a few days since I've written but with Cara's return home it's been a flurry of activity and poor thing has just been running herself ragged with this she needs to get done. But that's a story for another day.
On Saturday at Kruger Park there weren't a lot of animals to be seen. Since it's rainy season here Liese said they were probably farther south than we were that day. You have to understand what a massive park this is. Stefan said that to travel the entire park you would need to be there for a week. And keep in mind that not all of this area has roads. Some of the roads are just dirt and they get damaged from all of the rain and vehicles traveling them. There are paved roads as well but I think there are more of the dirt roads through the park.
Late in the afternoon on Saturday after the air conditioning went out on the Combi with 6 of us in there, we had the fright of our lives. Stefan was driving and of course we were all looking in different directions for animals to see. All of the sudden a giraffe came galloping across the road! I think we all saw him at the same time! Stefan hit the brakes hard in order to stop from hitting the giraffe. Once he had crossed the road he stopped and began grazing on a tree. We were all laughing and to think, this giraffe doesn't know how close he had come to being hurt or killed! I found it amazing that he even tried this but I guess by this point they think cars are a natural part of their world.
It was very warm out on Saturday as we drove around the park but we survived the heat in the van with no air in it. I was fortunate to see a hippo out of the water in the middle of the day at one of our water stops. He/she was out grazing on the grass and it was amazing actually. I had seen hippo earlier in the day but they were in water so the only thing you could really see was a head bobbing up every once in a while. That was very cool to see on it's own! I think I got some pretty good shots with my telephoto lens on and they were uploaded to the photo album.
The park has picnic areas throughout and we stopped during the afternoon for lunch there on all 3 days we were there. None of us are much into breakfast so it was more of a brunch thing. There weren't as many birds hanging around the area as there was the last time I was there, but then again, there were no monkeys either. This time there were monkeys in the picnic area. We had an avacodo that had gotten mushy and squished so we set it aside for the trash. One enterprising mother who had a baby with her found the avacodo and decided this would be a wonderful lunch so she sat on one of the little tables and proceeded to eat her avacodo not far from where we were sitting! What a sight that was for me. Santi and her family are used to seeing this but for me it was awesome. I love the monkeys but here they are considered more of a pain.
Saturday night we spent at a different camp then on Friday. The weather was better but the power kept going out for some reason. Yes the wind was blowing and there was a storm coming but it wasn't like Friday night, it didn't come in so fast. We were able to get the bbq started without a problem but as the women were preparing the salad and other things the power went out. Santi was sitting in the dark making a salad by the Braile method! I don't know how she kept from cutting herself with her sharp knife but she did a wonderful job of it and the salad was great. Fortunately the lights came back on in time to serve dinner.
The South African rugby team was playing Ireland in preseason international play and there was a tv in the golf club so after dinner the men wandered down the path to watch the game. The women went to bed early again but it wasn't long until the thunder and lightening started. The wind was blowing and it was just pouring out there and the men were at the golf course... Now mind you, it was strange to think that even though the camp grounds are somewhat enclosed, that we slept there to begin with, but could you imagine playing golf inside the game park? I can't but then I live in a world where a deer crossing the road is a big deal!
Anyway, the men had to stay at the golf club until the rain subsided enough for them to come back. While they were there, the power was coming and going as well. It took them a while to get back to the camp and it was late when they did. Needless to say by morning they were all exhausted from the weekend and we still had one more day plus the drive home to deal with!
On Sunday there were no animals to see really so we packed it in early and started to head for home. We dropped Liese, Dylan and Declan off where they had parked their car and they headed out first. It wasn't long before Santi, Peter, Stefan and I also started the drive out of the park. Very near the gate we saw a croc out of the water sunning himself on a river bank. Can you image that? Our first animal for the day! LOL It wasn't long after that when Liese called to let us know there was a leopard on the side of the road in a tree. So we headed towards the gate. The speed limit in the park is about 30 miles an hour so you really can't zip through the park at break neck speed. We all wanted to get there and see the leopard before he decided that nap time was over. The park has speeding cameras through out and the tickets for speeding are quite steep I'm told.
You really don't have to worry about finding out exactly where the animals are, there are usually cars lined up to see. When you drive through the park and someone is pulled over on the road you also stop and see what they are looking at! Sometimes the road gets pretty congested when there is something to see and in this case we had no trouble finding where the leopard is. He was sitting in a tree not far off the road. How someone spotted him in the first place is amazing to me. We took our turn to get a better view of him and of course the cameras came out. I was trying to shoot through the windshield but I was afraid of all of the glare. Stefan was in the center set of seats and on the right side of the car so once he had finished with his camera I handed him mine to get some shots with. Stefans shots turned out a lot better than mine once we looked at them.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Kruger Park Weekend - Part 1
Last weekend was the Kruger Park weekend. Peter was able to take Friday off of work so we headed out of Middleburg just after 5pm. You have to keep in mind that this is summer here in South Africa and it's also the rain season. Last week there were storms most nights, where there thunder and lightening seemed close enough to turn off the computers. Thursday night a storm was moving into the area so we scooted out of town before it came. We stayed in Sabie on Thursday night which is about 2 and a half hours from Middleburg. We wanted to get an early start on Friday morning to go to the silk farm and see a few other things.
Friday morning was beautful, the sun was up early and we got an early start on the day. Our first stop of the day as we headed towards Hazy View was at MacMac Falls. A beautiful waterfall that can only be seen when you walk down the path a little way. Walking down the path is easy, it's that walking back up that can kill you! The path is a little steep shall we say, but well worth the effort! It was already beginning to get a little warm early in the morning but it wasn't too bad yet.
Our next stop was Graskop (grass head is the direct translation) at the Africa Silks shop. Now, we had planned a visit to a silk farm but Africa Silks now has their own display along with sales ladies who also go through the store and explain how the silk is made. Basically you start with a moth who lays egges. Those eggs hatch and begin eating mulberry trees that a grown specifically for the silk worms. From the time the eggs hatch until they begin spinnning their cocoons is 28 days. After the new moths emerge from the cocoon the new moths begin the cycle again.
The silk worms eat non stop until they begin to spin their cocoons. When we arrived at the store there were only scraps of leaves in the silk worm boxes. The staff continually feeds the worms! If you take a look at the photos (in the link to the right of this screen) you will see how much of the leaves the silk worms ate in the short time we were in the store. It's amazing to watch them eat really. I think from the time they hatch until they spin their mouths never stop moving!
The cocoons are then taken an boiled in a mixture that makes them white. From there the silk is combed and then spun. There are different thicknesses of silk for weaving. In the photos you can see that a fairly bulky because they are all hand spun and woven. What I found interesting is that they use silk in duvets! I have never heard of such a thing but apparently Santi was aware of it. It conducts better than a goose down duvet with much less weight to it.
Once we finished shopping at Africa Silks we strolled across the street to a little cafe and enjoyed lunch and coffee while we discussed what we had just learned. Now, you can see from what I've written here that I have forgotten most of what I learned but if you want more information you can certainly google it and get more details if you are interested.
Next we went to "God's Window". On a clear day you can see the countryside for miles and miles. Unfortunately for us, we had low clouds that hindered the view. But again, if you take a look at the photos you can get an idea of the view from "God's Window". While we were admiring the view we came across a beautiful grasshopper. It had such vibriant colors it could be spotted from quite a distance. Luckily for me, this little guy was sitting on top of a post or I would have missed him.
The plan for that day was that Liese and her husband Dylan would drive down with Stefan (Cara's husband) Declan and we would meet up to continue the weekend. Santi, Peter and I arrived at Kurger Park early enough to take the scenic route to where we would be staying inside of the park during our stay. During our wandering through the park we did see giraffes, a herd of water buffalo, kudu, rhinos (which didn't photograph well at all) and of course impallas.
We finally met up with Liese, Dylan, Declan (baby Zoe stayed with her other grandmother) and Stefan and drove to the camp ground. The facilities in the park are actually very nice. The rondawels were equipped with with little kitchenettes on the verandas. There are bbq grills ready to go but you bring your own charcoal or purchase it from the store inside of the park. We don't want to talk about the prices at the store inside of the shop though!
Friday night the men started the charcoal about the same time as the wind started to blow a little bit. It was obvious that we were in for a storm and we hoped that we would get through the bbq before the rain started. Well, that didn't happen. The guys finally got the coals hot enough to start cooking and the first of the rain began! It wasn't bad at first and it didn't put the charcoal out. There was a lull in the rain so the guys put more charcoal on the fire and got it going again. The men were finally able to put the meat on the grill and just about the time they did that the bottom fell out of the clouds and the downpour began! At least the grill was under a tree but that didn't provide as much protection from the rain as we had hoped. I'm not sure what Plan B was for dinner but the men weren't going to give up! Santi and Liese worked on a salad and garlic bread. Since we couldn't put the garlic bread on the grill Santi put it on the 2 burners of the electric stove. Have you ever tried to warm bread on an electric stove? Well, what happens is that the bottom gets burned before the top of the bread gets warm... so we were looking at the possiblity of salad and bread for dinner!
Santi finally found some foil and the guys covered as much of the grill as they were able to. We stood on the veranda and watched as the coals began to cool, we wondered if the meat would cook or not. We were out of charcoal and the store was closed so we were on our own here. Peter, Dylan and Stefan took turns going out into the rain to check the meat. And then when you thought nothing else could go wrong the power went out! There was only 1 flashlight which had to be shared between the grill and the veranda!
I have seen some pretty intense thunder storms but the light show on Friday night was spectacular to say the least! The thunder cracked as if it were right above our heads and there were times I think it was right above our head! So we had salad working and garlic bread toasting and meat on the grill. We all hoped that te coals would stay hot enough to finish cooking the meat and luckily for us, it did! But it was touch and go there for a while...
After dinner the ladies retired for the evening while the men continued to stand by the grill and do what men do! Liese, Santi and I were probably fast asleep by 10pm while Peter, Dylan and Stefan stayed up late into the evening talking. Santi said at one point they were laughing a little loudly so she went out to quiet them down. I didn't hear any of that, I was sound asleep!
And so ended our first night in Kruger Park....
It's late and I need to go to bed for now, I will continue with the weekends events in the morning. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy bringing it to you...
Friday morning was beautful, the sun was up early and we got an early start on the day. Our first stop of the day as we headed towards Hazy View was at MacMac Falls. A beautiful waterfall that can only be seen when you walk down the path a little way. Walking down the path is easy, it's that walking back up that can kill you! The path is a little steep shall we say, but well worth the effort! It was already beginning to get a little warm early in the morning but it wasn't too bad yet.
Our next stop was Graskop (grass head is the direct translation) at the Africa Silks shop. Now, we had planned a visit to a silk farm but Africa Silks now has their own display along with sales ladies who also go through the store and explain how the silk is made. Basically you start with a moth who lays egges. Those eggs hatch and begin eating mulberry trees that a grown specifically for the silk worms. From the time the eggs hatch until they begin spinnning their cocoons is 28 days. After the new moths emerge from the cocoon the new moths begin the cycle again.
The silk worms eat non stop until they begin to spin their cocoons. When we arrived at the store there were only scraps of leaves in the silk worm boxes. The staff continually feeds the worms! If you take a look at the photos (in the link to the right of this screen) you will see how much of the leaves the silk worms ate in the short time we were in the store. It's amazing to watch them eat really. I think from the time they hatch until they spin their mouths never stop moving!
The cocoons are then taken an boiled in a mixture that makes them white. From there the silk is combed and then spun. There are different thicknesses of silk for weaving. In the photos you can see that a fairly bulky because they are all hand spun and woven. What I found interesting is that they use silk in duvets! I have never heard of such a thing but apparently Santi was aware of it. It conducts better than a goose down duvet with much less weight to it.
Once we finished shopping at Africa Silks we strolled across the street to a little cafe and enjoyed lunch and coffee while we discussed what we had just learned. Now, you can see from what I've written here that I have forgotten most of what I learned but if you want more information you can certainly google it and get more details if you are interested.
Next we went to "God's Window". On a clear day you can see the countryside for miles and miles. Unfortunately for us, we had low clouds that hindered the view. But again, if you take a look at the photos you can get an idea of the view from "God's Window". While we were admiring the view we came across a beautiful grasshopper. It had such vibriant colors it could be spotted from quite a distance. Luckily for me, this little guy was sitting on top of a post or I would have missed him.
The plan for that day was that Liese and her husband Dylan would drive down with Stefan (Cara's husband) Declan and we would meet up to continue the weekend. Santi, Peter and I arrived at Kurger Park early enough to take the scenic route to where we would be staying inside of the park during our stay. During our wandering through the park we did see giraffes, a herd of water buffalo, kudu, rhinos (which didn't photograph well at all) and of course impallas.
We finally met up with Liese, Dylan, Declan (baby Zoe stayed with her other grandmother) and Stefan and drove to the camp ground. The facilities in the park are actually very nice. The rondawels were equipped with with little kitchenettes on the verandas. There are bbq grills ready to go but you bring your own charcoal or purchase it from the store inside of the park. We don't want to talk about the prices at the store inside of the shop though!
Friday night the men started the charcoal about the same time as the wind started to blow a little bit. It was obvious that we were in for a storm and we hoped that we would get through the bbq before the rain started. Well, that didn't happen. The guys finally got the coals hot enough to start cooking and the first of the rain began! It wasn't bad at first and it didn't put the charcoal out. There was a lull in the rain so the guys put more charcoal on the fire and got it going again. The men were finally able to put the meat on the grill and just about the time they did that the bottom fell out of the clouds and the downpour began! At least the grill was under a tree but that didn't provide as much protection from the rain as we had hoped. I'm not sure what Plan B was for dinner but the men weren't going to give up! Santi and Liese worked on a salad and garlic bread. Since we couldn't put the garlic bread on the grill Santi put it on the 2 burners of the electric stove. Have you ever tried to warm bread on an electric stove? Well, what happens is that the bottom gets burned before the top of the bread gets warm... so we were looking at the possiblity of salad and bread for dinner!
Santi finally found some foil and the guys covered as much of the grill as they were able to. We stood on the veranda and watched as the coals began to cool, we wondered if the meat would cook or not. We were out of charcoal and the store was closed so we were on our own here. Peter, Dylan and Stefan took turns going out into the rain to check the meat. And then when you thought nothing else could go wrong the power went out! There was only 1 flashlight which had to be shared between the grill and the veranda!
I have seen some pretty intense thunder storms but the light show on Friday night was spectacular to say the least! The thunder cracked as if it were right above our heads and there were times I think it was right above our head! So we had salad working and garlic bread toasting and meat on the grill. We all hoped that te coals would stay hot enough to finish cooking the meat and luckily for us, it did! But it was touch and go there for a while...
After dinner the ladies retired for the evening while the men continued to stand by the grill and do what men do! Liese, Santi and I were probably fast asleep by 10pm while Peter, Dylan and Stefan stayed up late into the evening talking. Santi said at one point they were laughing a little loudly so she went out to quiet them down. I didn't hear any of that, I was sound asleep!
And so ended our first night in Kruger Park....
It's late and I need to go to bed for now, I will continue with the weekends events in the morning. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy bringing it to you...
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Rainbow Around the Sun - November 1, 2010
Yesterday we saw the most amazing thing. There was a rainbow around the sun! I have uploaded photos that Liese took to the Picassa album (use the link to the right to get there.) The rainbow around the sun is a very rare event and it's caused by the sun reflecting off of ice crystals in the atmosphere. Liese called us to tell us about it or we would have missed it, what a shame that would have been.
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