Looking Back...

I'm back in the US. Africa already feels like a distant dream ... I'm going to keep adding to this though and finish the account of my trip.

For those of you who have taken an interest and read all of this, thank you! I tend to ramble on and on -- I always got in trouble for run-on sentences in college -- I appreciate your interest in my many goings-on!

Tomorrow it's back to the routine. But stay tuned, I'll add more pictures and stories as I can.

Last Day in Africa

My last day... it was hard to leave but I survived. Had a couple pleasant surprises that last day. More to come...

(you can click on these to see a larger version of the picture)

Trip to Cape Town

An amazing place, Cape Town!!

More to come..........

Back in Mozambique

A week home in Mozambique...

I'll add to this as I have time... stay tuned!

Leaving Kruger, White River, and Kruger...AGAIN!

Ok, so there is so much to tell about our camping trip that I thought it best to break it up into sections... I'll share about each portion of the trip as I have time and opportunity to write! :o)

Camping in Maroela

Amazing Satara bushveld sunsets!!

Our next destination was Maroela Camp, west of Satara, just about 3 kilometers from Orpen Gate. We decided that since the campground was so crowded in Satara, we would make for camp right away and try to find a prime spot to set up our tent.

We didn't rush, stopping along the way to view animals as we went. We made good time and to our disappointment, found most of the good spots already taken by elderly South African couples with their campers and caravans. We did find a spot right against the dry riverbed. The ground was on a slight incline, but it wasn't too bad. We claimed it and set to work putting up the tent.

We had to make a quick drive to Orpen gate to pick something up at the store. Mary and Mom set to work putting sleeping bags in the tent, etc. while Dad and I went to the store. Dad promised to let me drive the truck back to camp. I had gotten my international driver's permit back in the US especially so I could drive the truck. Unfortunately it is a standard and I've not had much experience with it. I know it was hard for Dad, but he let me drive the truck back. Let's just say I have a brand new admiration for those of you who can drive standard!! It was just a short distance, but we stalled twice and then lurched forward, engine roaring. Dad tried to be patient, telling me when to let out the clutch, push on the gas, change gears, etc. Poor guy! The gears stick and I found it hard multi-tasking...let's just it was an adventure driving back to camp -- add to that the occasional impala running across the road. The moment we drove through the camp gate - and it was permitting to alight from the car -- Dad ordered me to stop and he jumped in the driver's side and drove the last few meters to the campsite. I was a bit disappointed in my poor first drive, but I realize it takes time to get the hang of it. I'm not giving up yet!!
Mom and Mary were finished setting things up, so after that, we took off once more to look for wildlife until closing time.




My favorite view of the Timbavati River

Trying to warm up on chilly African morning!

Dad "braaing" (BBQing) meat, we tried to take a picture with the hyena behind him, but no such luck.



We stayed at Maroela twice before and anticipated an interesting night. Animals know how to get into this camp, despite the electric fence, and the first time we camped here, we were kept awake the first night, listening to animals prowling around our tent and the camp, knocking over trash cans and squabbling over scraps.

There is a little path that has been worn along the outside of the electric fence. It is made by hyenas prowling around camp every evening, looking for scraps. Despite the signs forbidding people to feed animals, people continue to thoughtlessly throw their scraps to the animals and in essence, signing their death warrant. Animals become a real danger once they associate people with food. Tragically, countless animals have been shot and killed by game rangers because of this.

Sure enough, shortly after we threw some steaks on the "braai" (BBQ), the first of the hyenas made its appearance, loping along, head drooping but ears pricked up and bright eyes watching us warily. It was a young one and rather unsure of itself. We shone a spotlight on it and it fled along the fence.


A rowdy group of South Africans were camped next to us and pretty soon we saw them tossing meat over the fence to the hyena. After a few laps past our spot, the hyena finally settled on hanging around our neighbors, hoping for more hand-outs. We finished our dinner, had our tea (in my case, I had Milo (a South African brand of hot chocolate)). We did the dishes and turned in for the night. The South Africans next door were very loud and kept up the noise until almost midnight. I woke up some time after that and laying awake, I'm sure something was in the camp in the early hours of the morning though I have no idea what. I don't think it came near our tent. Dad and I woke up early, planning to go on an early night drive to find it raining a little. We didn't want to leave Mom and Mary and worried that it would leak in the tent. It seemed to clear though so we went ahead.


We saw all the usual stuff and in addition, a couple jackals and a young hyena. The road was wet and there were puddles in the road. The young hyena, despite its fear of us, wandered about in front of our truck, lapping up the puddles. We were able to get some great photographs of it!!



There was a kill off on one side of the road. We had seen it the afternoon before and found that it was an impala ram. The day before, two large hyenas were feeding on it and vultures were huddled around, waiting. The carcass had been dragged deep into a bush, making it hard for the vultures. Some black-backed jackals wandered about and it was easy for them to dart in through the low-hanging branches and sneak a bite. Dad and I stopped by the kill that morning, but nothing much could be seen. Scavengers in Africa are very efficient. Often the only evidence of a kill will be single bones, scattered across the bushland.

Dad and I drove through several more rain showers and the sky looked ominous. We returned to camp to find the tent wet and our sleeping bags damp. Mom had been in the shower when it rained. Mary's quick thinking saved the day, she moved all the sleeping bags to the center of the tent, protecting them from the wet edges of the tent. The sky fortunately cleared up and things got brighter. We decided to pray over it - that we'd not get more rain and that things would have a chance to dry before nightfall. With that, we set off for another day of game-viewing. We headed north to a picnic spot named Timbavati (named for a nearby river). We came across a magnificent cheetah just sitting in the road. He didn't seem to concerned with our presence and just glanced our way before strolling off into the bush. What a sight it was!!




The first of 6 cheetah we saw on our trip!!

We stopped briefly at the Timbavati picnic spot for a bathroom break and then headed east, passing by Satara and stocking up for dinner at their shop. We saw a lot more of the "regular stuff" (impalas, wildebeest, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, etc.) on the way.

From there we headed to another picnic spot, Nwanedzi, where we planned to have our lunch. It is one of my favorite places, a lookout spot high over the Nwanedzi River, it looks south-east towards the red rock ridges of the Lebombo Hills, with Mozambique just over on the other side of those ridges. As a child growing up in South Africa, I was fascinated by the mystery and allure of Mozambique. It seemed like such a foreign and intriguing place, caught up in civil war and hidden behind those hills. Never did I imagine that one day we'd live there!

We fried up some bacon and had what we call "bacon butties" (British term for "bacon and butter sandwiches"), crisps (chips to you Americans) and something cold to drink. We bought it from the local guard whose little house was tucked behind the trees off to one side of the picnic site. A group of African men braaing meat were the only others there and we got into a delightful conversation with them. They were South Africans and were fascinated to learn that we were from Mozambique. We chatted with them for quite some time. It was really nice.

We have noticed this trip that sadly, remnants of apartheid are still very much alive in South Africa. While in Satara, we noticed some of the treatment of white South Africans towards blacks as being very condescending. Similarly, we noticed that many black South Africans treated us in a very aloof, cold manner -- nothing like the warmth and friendliness of Mozambicans. I don't want to lay blame on either side, but it is easy to see that a lot of fear, distrust and resentment remains. Being able to just visit and chat with these South African men at Nwanedzi was a real bright spot after having witnessed this. We actually spent a little too much time just visiting.

We realized we'd have to push to make it back to our camp on time -- before the gate closed. We drove along, pausing just long enough to get some good sunset photos.

Driving along the Timbavati river, we rounded the bend and found a white mercedes pulled off to one side with a flat tire. We stopped to see if we could help and the Indian gentleman asked us to inform the officials at Orpen gate. Orpen gate is about 2-3 kms beyond the turn-off to our camp, so we really had to rush!

We made it to the gate, relayed the message to the guard at the gate and then turned tail and headed back to the turn-off to our camp. We bumped along the dirt road and rounded the bend in the road, confident that we'd made .... and the gate was closed!!! We stopped in front of it in disbelief... we were only 3 minutes late after all! This was the FIRST time in our many hundreds of visits to the park that we had ever made it to the gate late. Dad honked the horn and the camp guard came to the gate. We explained ourselves and he graciously opened the gate and flashed us a big, friendly smile. We sheepishly drove in, our fellow campers staring, and settled down to getting dinner ready.

The rowdy South Africans were gone and so things were much quieter around camp. Only problem: our friends the hyenas now took a keen interest in us, since their feeders were now gone. There were three hyenas, the young skittish one, a larger adult in her prime and a very large, older female with a real sinister look. Her eyes were milky (perhaps from cataracts?) and she had several large scars on her face, one causing her lower lip to droop, exposing her lower canines and giving her a grimace. She was not scared of us at all! The others would move off, looking at us over their shoulders, when we'd shine our bright spotlight on them. The large female would only back off after standing there staring at us a while.

As we watched them, we realized that we were camped over a drainage ditch that opened out just outside the electric fence. The hyenas would climb down into the ditch and lay there, just out of our sight and out of the beam of our light. It was a bit unnerving to know they were sitting there in the darkness, peeking up at us now and then and listening to us chewing on our dinner. I was delegated to do the dishes that evening and carried them up to the little kitchenette, as I was walking along, I passed a large grate in the ground and heard a rustling inside it. I quickly realized that the grate opened up on that drainage ditch that ran under the camp. The hyenas were prowling around in there -- under the camp! I quickly shone my flashlight around the edges of the grate and was relieved to see that the grate was firmly secured down - the hyenas weren't going to get in that way!

Washing the dishes was a sociable time. Several other campers were there as well and we traded stories and experiences of our current and past visits to the park. Always fun to trade yarns!

Dad and Mary went to get a shower each and so Mom and I sat by the fire. We heard something rustling on the other side of the fence. Shining the spotlight, we saw a beautiful civet cat, delicately picking its way along the path. As we followed it with the light, we realized it was trying to find an opening under the fence. Just as it was about to sneak under, it looked up into the darkness, turned tail and fled into the undergrowth. I shone the light in the direction it had been staring and saw the large female hyena approaching. She disappeared again down in that ditch.

Once again, we had our customary cups of tea/Milo and called it a night, the hyenas still prowling about just feet away on the other side of that fence.

Around 2AM, we were rudely awakened by rain. It was running down the sides of our tent and our sleeping bags were getting wet around the edges. We had anticipated the chance of this happening and had packed most of our stuff in the back of the truck. We pushed our sleeping bags into a pile in the center of the tent, grabbed our pillows and blankets and climbed into the cab of our truck, scrunched up, we tried to get comfortable and sleep the rest of the night. I woke up refreshed, but poor Mary tossed and turned.

We woke up early, around 6AM, to find things a soggy, sodden mess. It was still drizzling as we took everything down, bundled it all up and stuck it in the back of the truck, grateful we wouldn't be using it again and already dreading unpacking everything when we got home!

We headed south towards the main camp of Skukuza and from there to Paul Kruger Gate, where we'd exit the park. We saw a lot of wonderful things this day, just a few kilometers from Maroela, we were treated to 5 cheetahs together, grooming each other. It had stopped raining at this point, but they were still all wet. We took our time watching them, until they finally wandered off into the bush. We saw more elephants, rhinos, ostriches, and lions this day -- in addition to more of the "regular stuff".

We took our time and left the park at the last possible moment. As usual, I was feeling glum leaving the park. I stuck my head out the window, trying to breathe in those last deep breaths of the sweet smells of the grassland. We were treating to another amazing sunset that turned the bushveld into beautiful, glowing shades of pink, orange, green and gold. I always feel so close to God, surrounded in His Creation and am always loathe to leave Kruger and face the hustle, bustle, noise and pollution of civilization once more.

Bird list

I've been keeping a list of all the birds I've seen since I've arrived back... some of them seem like dear friends, their calls are so very familiar! Just for fun, here's my list!

black-eyed bulbul
long-tailed shrike
paradise flycatcher
crested korhaan
speckled mousebird
ostrich
brown-hooded kingfisher
secretary bird
pygmy kingfisher
crowned plover
Natal robin
blacksmith plover
spectacled weaver
green heron
bronze mannikins
pied kingfisher
laughing doves Cape Glossy Starling

bateleur eagle
red-eyed doves
marabou stork
common sparrow
Goliath heron
common pigeon
pied wagtail
palm swift
crested francolin
yellow-eyed canary
Swain's francolin
firefinch
Natal francolin
pied crow
firefinches
white-headed vulture
white-backed vulture
butcher bird/fiscal shrike
lappet-faced vulture
cattle egrets
hooded vulture
black-headed heron
Cape vulture
helmeted guinea fowl
African spoonbill
sacred ibis
Khori bustard
hadeda ibis
buffalo weaver
pied crow
martial eagle
black-shouldered kite
Burchell's coucal
saddle-billed stork
African fish eagle
white-fronted bee-eater
great white egret
pallid harrier
reed cormorant
crested barbet
blackwinged stilt
brown-headed parrot
white-winged tern
Burchell's starling
yellow-billed hornbill
wood hoopoe
fork-tailed drongo
grey heron
Wahlberg's eagle
tawny eagle
grey lourie
yellow-billed stork
grey hornbill
African jacana
red-billed oxpecker
black crake
ground hornbill
Cape glossy starling
European roller
lilac-breasted roller


Am adding to this list as I go....

Wildlife Sightings List

Ok, so I'm going to list the wildlife we saw this trip... being wintertime, we saw a wonderful array of creatures! In fact, Mary and I got to see the "Big 5" (the five most dangerous animals of Africa: elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard) three times over!!

Here's what we saw:

(in the Limpopo Transfrontier Park):
tree squirrels
grey duiker
steenbok
warthog
kudu
zebra
impala
wildebeest

(in Kruger Park)
impala
hippo
White rhino
Burchell's zebra
Chacma baboon
Blue wildebeest
elephant
giraffe
tree squirrels
warthog
bushbuck
Monitor lizard/leguaan
ostrich
steenbok
lion (including pride with cubs!!)
crocodile
Vervet monkey
Banded mongoose
turtles/terrapins
Cape buffalo
Dwarf mongoose
waterbuck
leopard
Slender mongoose
nyala
reedbuck
tsessebe
civet
cheetah
scrub hare
bushbabies
large-spotted genet
small-spotted genet
spotted hyena
black-backed jackal
kudu

*** if you are wondering what some of these animals are, here's a handy website for you, enjoy!
www.awf.org/section/wildlife/gallery

Lost in the Bush -- At Night!!

Ok, so I decided that this was so unusual that it deserved a post of its own! :o)

We arrived back in Satara around 3:30PM or so and wandered around the little camp shop for a while, just killing time until Mary and I were to meet behind the shop to go on a "sunset drive".

Kruger Park offers morning, afternoon, sunset and night drives now.


It's a newer thing, though they've been doing them for several years at this point. Basically you go out in an open vehicle, driven by a Kruger Park game guide (armed with his/her rifle) for several hours.

This vehicle (to the right) is a little smaller than the one we went in, but it gives you an idea of how they are set up.

I had been wanted to do the night drive from 8-10PM in hopes of seeing predators on the hunt,
but Dad suggested that Mary and I go on the sunset (photo: www.nigeldennis.com)
drive from 4:30-7:30PM since it was for three hours,
cheaper and we'd be back around dinner-time and could turn in for an early night. It sounded good so that was the plan.


We filled out the necessary indemnity forms, agreeing that the park was not responsible for us, that we willingly chose to to "expose ourselves to the natural elements" -in other words, it was our own fault if an elephant stepped on us, or a lion dragged us away. They had a really nice way of wording that, ha!!


I found a spotlight at my seat (hurray!!) though we wouldn't need them until just after sunset. Mary found a spot on the opposite side of the truck, so she wouldn't have to sit in the middle. A couple American girls sat behind me, an English family in front and several elderly Afrikaaner couples to my right and behind. Our guide, named Meetwell, was a very pleasant, earnest looking guy and he quickly gave us instructions, showing us how to work the spotlights, pointing out the thick blankets on our seats, warning us not to shout loudly or wave our arms -- the truck is completely open after all!!


After those final words, we were off! The first thing we saw was a giraffe, followed by some big old "dagga boys" --- an expression we use for big old buffalo bulls ("Dagga" is a South African term for mud). They took their time crossing the road. We drove on another kilometer or so, crossed a little "spruit" (creek) and about another half kilometer on came across a traffic jam.

Now, a traffic jam in Kruger can only mean one thing.... there's something interesting to look at!
It's funny, depending on how the cars are situated in relation to each other, you can tell if it's big cats or big animals (like elephant, rhino, buffalo). When it's big cats, the cars are squeezed in close together at crazy angles. When it's elephant or other large creatures, the cars are spaced with enough room for a quick get-away should the animal get irritated with all the attention.

Well, in this case it looked to be a big cat and sure enough, on the left (my side of the truck) was an adolescent male leopard. He was partially hidden by a bush, but as we pulled up and turned the engine off, he mustered up his courage and came forward!! I WISHED I brought my camera! All I had brought was my binoculars so I could only watch as he came closer and closer... and closer. He was young and not sure of us. After a moment he lost interest and rooted about in the grass, looking for giant grasshoppers, birds, etc. But then that became boring and he moved closer to us once again. I was sitting just inside the back door of the truck, which was closed only with a piece of canvas. There was a gap there through which he could see my legs. I sat perfectly still as he came even closer, knowing that the slightest movement could trigger his hunter instinct. In 3 seconds flat, he could charge across the remaining few yards and be up and inside the truck!


A couple years back a young leopard, being inquisitive, jumped inside one of these trucks and savagely mauled the guide, so knowing this, I have to say my adrenaline was pumping but I was frozen in place! He sat there quietly --absolutely mesmerizing-- leopards are by far my favorites, they are so very beautiful!! After a short while, he turned and walked parallel to the road. We followed but a little behind him and then stopped when it was obvious he wanted to cross the road. He trotted across and disappeared down the bank of the river on the other side, birds squawking in consternation.


We continued on, turning off the tar road onto a dirt road along the Sweni Spruit and came across a very large breeding herd of elephants. The babies were tiny and Meetwell estimated the youngest to be about 3 days old. They congregated at a waterhole to drink, the mothers nudging the small ones forward and the young males mock-fighting and milling around the edges. We stayed for a while, just watching them and enjoying the scene, though it was getting dark. We soon had to switch our spotlights on and then the fun began!!


I have to confess I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the years of going to Kruger Park paid off - I knew where to look for bushbabies, high in the trees and how to sweep the spotlight systematically from right to left. It's often easy to find animals by spotlight, as it is easy to spot eyeshine. It can be much harder to identify the animals however, in the thick bush though. I was able to identify scrub hares, large-spotted and small-spotted genets, a civet cat, duiker and steenbok (antelopes) and all sorts of other night creatures. I was in my glory when the South African gentlement across the aisle from me asked if I had been a game ranger in my former life (I wish!!)

Our guide drove the truck down a non-entry road (seen in the photo above). I thought nothing of it since I've been on nightdrives before and rangers will often take shortcuts on those private roads. We continued on, spotting wildebeest, impala, etc. The stars were amazing, the Southern Cross standing out from within the Milky Way stretched out over our heads - breathtaking!

The road was increasingly getting rougher and we crossed through numerous dry spruits and dongas (streams and gullies). It was slow going and we found trees lying across the track, knocked over by elephants no doubt. We drove carefully around them and continued on. After a few more kilometers, Meetwell, our guide, turned and said, "I think we might be lost". The South African couple laughed and said, "Oh, that's ok, just take us to the lions!". Poor Meetwell, turned and kept driving. A kilometer or two further on, the road (if it could be called that) simply disappeared. Meetwell shone his spotlight ahead as though he couldn't quite believe it. He turned the truck around and we headed back the way we came. I glanced at my watch and realized that it was already 7:30PM (time for us to be back in camp!). Meetwell was now in contact with his fellow rangers back in camp - although they couldn't help us, after all, they didn't know where we were! He was anxious to get us back to camp and began driving more recklessly. I hadn't been concerned before, but now was anxious that driving down through those dry river beds so fast, he might overturn our truck (the last thing we needed!!).

We made it to an intersection we had passed earlier. Meetwell stopped the truck and actually asked us which way we should go (I thought HE was supposed to know!?!?). Mary (bless her!) piped up, "I think you should just keep going back the way we came!" Meetwell looked at her gratefully and kept going. He sped up and soon we were bumping along in the truck, thorn branches whipping past - we had to be sure to keep our arms and heads inside the truck to keep from getting hit.

We finally made it to the dirt road and a sign post, "Satara, 33Km" - at least we were back on track. We got to the tar road and Meetwell began turning west instead of east (to Satara). The poor guy was really unsure of himself at this point. He quickly turned east when we all started to protest! We drove the remainder of the way to camp without stopping except for an encounter with three spotted hyena in the road. I kept shining the spotlight and saw plenty of eyeshine, but we were travelling so fast, I thought better of asking Meetwell to stop at this point.

We ran into the 8PM nightdrive people about 10 km from camp. The ranger leaned out of his window and said, "glad to see you all still alive!" - that sobered up the jovial South Africans in our truck!

We pulled into Satara at 9PM, an hour and a half AFTER we were supposed to be back in camp. Dad was waiting anxiously just inside the gate with the gate keeper. The gate keeper didn't know what had happened to us and they had assumed we'd broken down someplace. Fortunately that was not the case. Poor Meetwell got some sizeable tips, despite the incident. I stopped to talk to him and encourage him a bit. I found out that he had been working up in the Pafuri region of the Park (the northermost area) and this was his first nightdrive in the central park of the park. It was all new territory to him!

I looked at the map later and realized that he had intended to take a shortcut that went north to the tar road, but we had actually ended up on a road that headed west (who knows where we would have ended up?!).

Needless to say, Mom and Dad were relieved to have us back safe and sound. We were hungry, but none the worse for our adventure. I was pleased we had gotten MORE than our money's worth! Hehe!

Dinner was a little overdone (Mom had been trying to keep things warm until we got back). We had buffalo steaks, which were rather tough!! We managed to eat them though and finished off the evening with a cup of tea each and then settled down in the tent for the night. Waking up in the wee hours to hear lions roaring back and forth to each other from either side of the camp, punctuated with the eery howl of a lone hyena and wails of jackals.

Camping at Satara

Our campsite at Satara




Our first morning in Satara, Dad and I set off for an early drive when the gate first opened at 6AM. It was still dark out, but we had a spotlight, so I used that, sweeping the beam across the bush, searching for eyeshine. We saw giraffe, impala, zebra and wildebeest but nothing really out of the ordinary that morning. It was a beautiful sunrise however and so wonderful to be out and smell the fresh, early morning smell of sweet grass.

We returned for breakfast, got freshened up and then headed up the road -back the way we came yesterday - but this time to visit the Olifants Restcamp (one of my favorite camps because of its view... I've decided this is the PERFECT honeymoon spot! Hehe! ;o)

One of the "rondawels" (huts) at Olifants


Don't worry, it's not real! :o)

Instead of going up the tar road however, we decided to take a detour dirt road that went east, before heading north and connecting with the tar again just a few kilometers from the camp. Again, we saw lots of the usual stuff. Which I suppose isn't really "usual" at all! ;o) We took time to stop and enjoy them (many times we'd just drive on, in search of the "big cats").

So many animals are accustomed to cars in Kruger and they really don't associate them with people at all...the smell of the car (exhaust, etc.) does a good job of covering up human scent.
Because of this, animals are completely relaxed and wander about you as long as you are in your car, but the moment a person steps out of the car, they'd be gone or attack you in an instant!

We drove along leisurely, finally coming to the Olifants River low-level bridge (again, hippos and crocodiles sunbathing on the sand) and then drove on up to the Olifants Camp. This little camp hasn't changed for years! It's perched on a bluff of the Lebombo hills and looks east and south down on a bend in the Olifants River. You could literally sit there at the little viewing area ALL day with a good pair of binoculars and look for animals. And given enough time and patience (and a good eye) you would see hundreds!!!

What an amazing view!!

We decided that since we'd been snacking in the car that we'd only get an icecream bar there, so we sat at the viewpoint to enjoy those and while there, we saw all sorts of birds, crocodiles (including a dead one, belly up...rather unusual!), hippos, giraffes, kudus, impalas, etc. etc. It was with great reluctance that we pulled ourselves away and got back in the car to head south.

Mary and I had signed up to go on a sunset drive at 4:30PM until 7:30PM, so we needed to make sure we were back in plenty of time (the sunset drive is worthy of a story all its own).

First Day in Kruger!!

It took us a couple hours of driving to get to the brand new border post, Giriyondo, that connects South Africa with Mozambique through Kruger Park. As we drove further west, the habitat looked more and more like the Kruger we know as we left the villages and people behind.

We saw many steenbok and duiker (small antelopes) that would dart away as we trundled past.

The land was dominated by mopane and marula trees and while it was dense bush, at times it would open up into incredible views stretching out to the horizon. Marula trees were starting to lose their leaves for winter, but mopane leaves turn yellow and then a lovely rust color. Not as striking perhaps as New England, but still very, very lovely!

We only passed one other vehicle as we drove along, kicked up clouds of dust. Just a few kilometers from the border we came across a herd of zebra -- now THIS was exciting!!! Our very FIRST sighting of zebra (of any large wildlife for that matter) actually in the wild in Mozambique! I took a picture of them (will have to get it up on here) ...and shortly after seeing them, we saw impala and wildebeest and began to see spoor (footprints, dung, etc.) of other animals. Kruger was near!!!

The border was deserted when we arrived. The guys inside the immigration seemed glad to see us -- someone to talk to!! We took care of immigration forms, etc. etc. and proceeded on to the South African side and then... we were through!!

The mopane and marula trees continued, but now we were driving up the Lebombo hills and there were beautiful white seringa trees, large spreading trees with very striking white trunks and bright yellow leaves -- they grow along the tops of rocky outcrops. Baboons and monkeys like to sit in them. There were the large baobab trees (known as "upside-down trees") towering here and there above the rest of the trees. We didn't see too many animals at first, but the landscape itself was so very interesting and varied that we really didn't mind much. We did begin to see what we call "the usual stuff" ... impala, wildebeest, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, waterbucks, kudus, etc.

Baobab "Upside Down" Tree

We saw several elephants and came upon one who was meandering down the road in front of us. We had to slow down and just creep along behind him, waiting for him to move off the road (after all, animals DO have the right of way in Kruger and besides, there really isn't much you can do when an enormous elephant bull thinks he owns the road!)

We drove to Letaba Restcamp, a beautiful camp (where my parents spent their honeymoon actually!). The camp is situated along the Letaba River and is full of large, beautiful shade trees like the Natal Mahogany, Sycamore Fig, Fever trees, etc. with bushbuck wandering about -they are so used to people you can almost pet them! We pulled in at the shop there just to stock up on some charcoal, some milk and other necessities, before filling up with gas and heading south to the Satara Camp where we would be spending the next two nights.

As we drove away from Letaba and made for Satara. Once we crossed the Olifants River - a very wide, rocky riverbed, full of sun-bathing hippos and crocs, the Lebombo hills veered off to our left and we left the mopane trees behind. Now the terrain was the more even ground of the grassy plains in the central part of Kruger. It is here that the migrating herds come in winter and we saw herds and herds of wildebeest and zebra. There were lots of large birds (ostriches, ground hornbills and secretary birds) striding along through the long, blond grass.

We saw lots of elephants as well, but interestingly they were all spaced out --not together as usual -- but I think it was because they were feeding without any particular destination in mind. Elephants communicate using infrasound and so distance isn't a big deal for them, they can communicate with each even though they are several kilometeres away from one another!

We arrived in Satara at last. Unlike most camps, it doesn't border along a river and the camp is pretty dry compared to the others -- there aren't any really large shade trees here. We went to the campground to find a spot, but because it was towards the end of the day, all the prime spots were taken! :o( We had thought that because schools in South Africa are still in session that things might be quieter, but that's what all the older South Africans figured on too! They were all there in the campers and caravans. In fact the park was full of elderly Afrikaaner people! They all assumed that since we were camping too that we must be locals and would greet us in Afrikaans. I'd greet back in English but by the end of it, I was just greeting them back in Afrikaan! ;o) We found a nice little spot under an acacia tree, about halfway between a little kitchen area and the bathrooms and set up camp. That night, after dinner we went to watch a film (just like what they used to do in the olden days -- well, when I was little anyway! They had discontinued it for a long time). The films are always wildlife documentaries (which I love!). That night it was all about hyenas. Very interesting!! After that, we picked our way along in the moonlight back to our tent and turned in soon after, waking up around 2AM to hear lions roaring back and forth. It sounded like one lion (male perhaps from the sound of him) was north of the camp and the rest of the pride was to the south. They called and answered at least 22 times! It was amazing to lie there and listen...I thoroughly enjoyed it!! (I wasn't nervous at all because lions' roars carry for a very far distance.) I finally drifted off to sleep again, dreaming of what we might see the next day....

Limpopo Transfrontier Park

Well, we are back after an absolutely delightful week of camping ...not without its hiccups along the way, but overall, it was lovely! Just what I needed!!! I'll go back to the beginning and share our adventures in order....

Our first destination was the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park. (www.greatlimpopopark.com) It's a brand new park, recently opened and still in its very early stages of development. Essentially, it is an extension of South Africa's Kruger National Park that overlaps into Mozambique. There have been rumours of this transfrontier conservation area being established ever since I was a little girl living in South Africa. I've taken a keen interest in it since then and even did part of my senior independent research at ENC on this park. So.... it was with GREAT excitement that I set off with Mom, Dad and Mary on the four hour drive to reach the park.

It took us a while once we reached the town of Massingir -out in the middle of nowhere- to find our way, but we managed and soon found ourselves driving along the wall of the Massingir Dam, an impressive sight! The park entrance was on the far side of the dam. We took care of paperwork, paid, and headed on towards the Campismo Aguia-Pesqueira (Fish Eagle Campsite).

Because the park is still in its early stages, there are still villages within the park and very little in the way of wildlife. People were friendly and waved and called out as we bumped along. Only 4x4's are allowed in the park and we could certainly see why!! Very rough terrain indeed!

We eventually reached the camp and met up with the manager...who was delighted to have some Portuguese speakers there for a change (most visitors there are from South Africa). It must be a very lonely job... we were the first people to come all day. It's a small camp, only 10 sites total and two ablution blocks and outdoor kitchenettes. He assigned us site #6, the best of them all. It had an absolutely GORGEOUS view out over the Massingir Dam.

We set about unpacking and setting up the tent, all the while listening to that quintessentially African call of the fish eagles around the dam. We watched the fishermen in their dugout canoes criss-crossing the dam on their way home. We scoured the dam with our binoculars, searching for hippos but my guess is that they stay near the river mouth.

The sun sank lower in the sky and the colours of the water and surrounding mountains and foliage were absolutely breathtaking! Added to that the near-full moon rose in the east. Words cannot describe how beautiful it was!! Another family - South African - set up camp next to us, so we didn't have the entire place to ourselves after all, but despite that it was very, VERY restful and quiet. We had some curry and rice, cooked over a small gas ring that we brought along (Mom had prepared several meals in advance and froze them -- packed tightly in coldboxes surrounded by ice). We sat around the fire for a while and then turned in early.
I awoke around 3AM, gazing up at the almost lacy network of shadows cast by branches and leaves in the moonlight. It was so very quiet, even the crickets and bats were silent. I lay there savoring it for a moment before dropping off to sleep once more.

We were up with the sun and I had a cold shower (there was a gas heater for water but it didn't work) -- there's nothing as invigorating as a cold shower on a chilly African winter morning! :o)

After a bite of coffee cake and something warm to drink, we took down the tent, packed up the truck, looked out over the dam once more and then headed out -- on our way westwards towards Kruger Park !!

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(The director of the Limpopo Park is actually a member of the Maputo Central Church of the Nazarene and I was really hoping to be able to meet him while we were there. Unfortunately, it was only today that I found out that he was in Maputo while we were there in the park. He had gotten the date wrong and had been planning to have a dinner there for us while we were there...shame! (Heh! I wanted to ask him about potential job/volunteer opportunities in the park some day in the distant future... oh well...perhaps another opportunity will present itself! ;o)