What a life we lead here.
This is a bit of a re run from 3 years ago when we lucked into this place the first time. However, long sunny days on the lawn, reading the latest Harry Potter (I'm not ashamed of that!), and catching up with my old Economists. Idling away a few hours trying to get some of our pix across the various oceans, a few beers in the sun - water too damn cold to get into. THIS is real R&R.
After our riding week end, it was down to Nelspruit (much warmer) on Monday morning for our Mozambique visas. Apparently, this is the fastest and cheapest place in the world for this. Scooted around taking our photos (great to have a Polaroid camera for this), farted with the internet, caught up and also transferred some cash via the net, around our accounts plus our travelling Visa card. (TRAVELLING TIP: do NOT use your bank card - VERY expensive! Simply dump cash into a credit card and draw against that - do not use it for purchases). Then, went to the bank and withdrew it - love this control thing! However, as we had farted about for and extra 30 minutes, we missed the embassy Visa times, and ended up in White River for the night
. Finally got our visas organised in 3 hours on Tuesday, and lucked into a house on the Crocodile River, just south of Kruger Park. We are told not to go out at night due to the lions roaming around the place!
Finally we find Africa again. Lions roaring and Hippos grunting through the night. Another perfectly starry sky. Aiden is up pre dawn to see a hyena on the front lawn. There are mozzies here, it has been a wet summer so far (very unusual). I decide to start our malaria tabs, Ilge decides not to. The kids take theirs too.
We arrived in Kruger Park, for 3 days as a quick refresher with real mother nature in tooth, fang and claw. The first day and we see (usually through binoculars), 4 of the "big" 5: Elephants, Rhinos, Lions and Cape Buffalo. Leopards are much harder to spot. More, gimme more!
The park was totally packed. Got out timing screwed up this time as we headed off into Kruger right in the middle of school holidays (winter hols here right now). This would not have been too bad if the SA Parks had not totally revamped their entrance costs and criteria: instead of $20.00 per day for everyone, now it's $60.00 per day for us foreigners, and free for residents. Ergo, we camp (even then, only just) in the dust. Up for dawn game drives - this is before the suns up.
Animals, animals and more animals. We generally pig out on wild stuff.
I sense that the standards are now way down from last time - if I'm not mistaken, the food and the service are nothing like what the could or should be. Ask for something or for help, and the overwhelming sensation I get is "I don't have to help you, my jobs secure, my cousin is the Chief Wardens golfing partner", well you get the idea, no one seems to give a shit. The TV's at the lodges, are now screening infomercials on "Sexual Performance Enhancement" creams for gods sake! This stinks.
Took a walking safari (2 hours in the real bush) and tracked lions an White Rhino. We only saw warthogs, but a good intro for everyone for Mana Pools, which is one of our major reasons for going. We kept up a pretty brisk pace, and the guides do not piss about. Two of them, each with a rifle that looked like it would adequately stop an elephant. We all survived, and live on the ubiquitous meat pie that night.
Friday evening and we head off just down the road to our home for the week: Kruger Park Lodge. Everything comes out of the van, and the top box. It's a lot!
This time share has all the modern inconveniences I've come to expect in an Afican style time shares: 9 hole golf course, 2 swimming pools, 4 tennis courts, massive inground hippo & crock pool (and hide), free 24Hr internet service, a fantastic house with 3 bedrooms, 3 king size beds with en suite bathrooms, serviced daily of course (they even wash the barbeque pit) , hot and cold running vervets and extensive lawns and probably most important, a 10 foot electrified security fence and 24 hour on site security guards. Well, what else would keep you safe in South Africa? There is also a TV and phone, but nothing's perfect!
At the gate, we notice the security folk all have handguns. Sign of the times or what?
This is our second time here, so we are not as easily bowled over with the 20 hippo idling away in the pool, but simply comparing this to last time is a mugs game to ambivalence.
We play. Time drifts past, but it does pass.
I notice that Afrikaans if far more the local household language than before. Very little English. Everyone in stores etc talk first in Afrikaans, then English. Something has changed here.
Today, and it's down to the local police station to get them to certify our various documents. My research via Lonely Planet tells me that we should not give original documents to the Mozambican police: if you do, they will demand anything from $50 - $500 (yes US, not Zim$), for their return. So, you take certified copies, and give them those. If they give you a hard time, you ask for their commanding officer (in fluent Portuguese of course) and smile and wait until they give up. Seems that these folk are the real bandits. The cops have no problem with certifying everything I ask them to, in fact it seems to be all they do here. I see 4 "inspectors", and 1 "constable" who does all the stamping and signing.
Evening and it's a big communal Braii down by the Sabi River (runs through the grounds), once again to brilliant night skies. Even though this is 100% "Lowvelt", it still gets bloody cold: 5C at night, so any camping in the next few weeks will be marginal at best. We hope the schools go back soon, then we will be pretty set for accommodation.
Ah, but our time is running out, this is our 6th day here, only a few more, and we are cast out onto the road again. Time to pack and re assemble. We think of our next stops, I contact a buddy in Zim re fuel and various other bits concerning Mozambique. He tells me it will be a "demanding trip". And this is from a guy who lives in Zim! Well, if it's only fuel we have to worry about, I can handle that. Time will tell.
Odometer: 307600 Distance Travelled: 483Km Trip Distance: 483Km
