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July 17th, 2000, Vaalwater, Northern Province, South Africa We arrive here after a dash across the Northern Province from Punta Maria in the North of Kruger Park to this little "doorpie" (Afrikaans for small town, but connotation of a redneck backwater).
After departing from the Kruger Park Lodge timeshare at 9:00 AM, we arrive at Mopani, just as the gates are shutting at 5:30PM. Lots of elephant plus the now familiar background of plains fauna all day, lions, hyena, Cape Buffalo, all in the last hour before dark. Distances are small, but game spotting requires at least some stopping time for photo's (3 cameras: digital, 35mm with 50 and 100/300 zoom lens plus a video), binoculars for those not quite easy to find animals, and the ever hopeful call to view the elephant bush, lion rock, or buffalo tree. Like the gate, we just make the shop before closing. British bangers and baked potatoes for the braii (barbeque with charcoal). Luckily, we are not yet fed up with this fare, or methodology of catering. Washed down with various G&T's and vino. On the way, we see some of the ravages of the flooding earlier this year. Trees, currently 5 meters above the river bed, have tree remnants in their branches - that must be 8 - 10 metres above the normal (ie current) river level. The roads still bear the scars of devastation. Bridges missing barriers, whole chunks of bridge and occasionally, the whole bridge has gone. Very low water now, we can get through these trickles easily. Even the kids can navigate - they drive on my knees about 10K each on the dirt roads.
Next day, Sunday 16th. we head off to Vaalwater from the Northern Gate of the park to meet a friends mother who has taken up residence in SA after 40 years in Toronto. The trip down takes us through Venda and Lebowa, both failed mini states under the apartheid regime, set up to dump all non essential "aliens", ie any servant without a job, back to their original homeland, even if they were neither born or had ever even been there. These homelands were only ever recognised by South Africa, and the other homelands. Almost without exception, they were corrupt, venal and dirt poor apologies for tribal based rural areas, with only SA government money supporting corrupt figureheads.
We find the main highway, speed cops monitor the traffic - it's Sunday night, everyone is going home, school starts tomorrow. Even with a limit of 120KPH, there is no shortage of offenders. We travel at or +/- 10KPH of the speed limit. We overtake 2/ 4 vehicles in 2 hours of travel. There is no divide between the North and Southbound traffic. Skid marks dot and pepper the surface. Expressway stops here are much like anywhere, except there are 8 waitresses for the four of us - ordering seems to be difficult, many items on the menu are "finished", or the chef "cannot find it". Eventually we eat - standard highway fare. Onward and outward. It's night time. The Velt at night stretches ever onward. Clear, cool days mean the stars are always brilliant - far more elegant and entertaining than the Velt by day. Everywhere we travel, the grass on the side of the road is burning, or has been burn. Usually, casual cigarette tossing is the culprit, but often these fires are set deliberately to clear the grass before the rains arrive. Either way, with this, and the all pervading wood based cooking fires at twilight, the air is often a smelly and choking experience, even on these expressways miles from anywhere. We arrive 8:30PM. Remarkable, we survive and live to type the tale.
Morning:
We braii again. Shopping, cooking and feeding seem to take up a good percentage of the available time. Luckily, in self catering, the washing up can all be left to the maid. We "entertain" Jaqueline & Henri, all get fairly pissed, and agree to take a boat tour the next day. We head off to the local dam to game spot. Large signs warn of "bilharzia infested water" - not a disease you want to get. Crocodiles are endemic to the area - we hope to see a few. Everyone except us tourist, are covered in clothing, sweaters, jackets - they think it's cold at 20C, we sweat it out. Kudu, Eland, crocs, assortment of snakes and various buck. A different kind of adventure.
In the morning, a long walk yields only one snake, and some spectacular view, not even an impala or zebra. We have organised to see the rhino in the park, a white and black one both having lost their mothers (don't ask!). We get the low down on raising baby rhino from Conchita Walker. Her husband Clive is one of the main forces behind this reserve. Photo ops of course for "bwana" the black rhino, and "little one" - the white rhino.
On the way back, we drop into the "Rhino Museum". Seems that since the discovery of oil in Yemen, the rhino population has been decimated. This is due to the fact that Yemeni men have to display their wealth/ prowess etc by having a dagger complete with a rhino horn handle. Without this economic miracle for the Yemeni's, the rhino population would still be off the endangered list, as it is, last time we were in Kenya, the population was 17,000+. Now it is 392. We leave disheartened and head back to Joburg. Again, the smoke and burning hedgerows make the place look like something out of Dante's inferno. Beautiful night again! |
Kruger was great - lots of good stuff, elephants till we were
almost bored with them, leopard, impala (of course), zebra,
giraffes, wildebeest, dirt roads, down market (well, they had to
be after the lodge) but adequately serviceable rondavels. 
Our next night is at Shingwezi, we pre book, most is taken (still
the school holidays), so we get a single room, 3 bed rondavel. We
also have a night game drive organised. The ones who have been
before bring their own wine. Elephants, hyena, warthogs - enough
to write home about.
These areas are "real" Africa - poor, subsistence
areas, with high unemployment - if that concept is valid in these
areas, with little hope, and lower prospects.
We meet
Jaqueline & Henri, take tea, and have a guided tour of the
town. Best butchers (there are 2 to choose from), best
supermarket, well stocked, best vegetables. All recognisable as
such. We shop, have a "
Back in time to
collect some grub for our next trip: Lapalana just 50Km north. A
game reserve with rhino's and most non human eating mammals,.
here you are only allowed to drive into and out of, then you have
to walk everywhere. Fantastic area, we have the whole game lodge
area (4 rondavels and the rangers house) to ourselves. Warthogs
chase each other through the camp. Fantastic night sky now the
moon rises later. 
We get out of
the car to chase some giraffe on the way to the gate. They outrun
us.
