Friday, August 25, 2010
Today’s Vocabulary Word Eina! (Ah-nah) - Ouch!
Today was our last full day in South Africa so we both agreed we wanted to see some animals.
Our Xhosa friend at the hotel hooked us up with a great game lodge for a half day game drive. These are never used for hunting, only for observation of wild life. You ride in a military style vehicle, very high up. The ramp was so high up, that you can only get on and off at places that have a raised platform.
This Game Reserve is set at the foot of the world famous Brandwacht Mountains and surrounded by Cape Fynbos and waterfalls. Combined in approximately 20 000 hectares of government conservancy, the African Big 5 and a very large quantity and variety of safari game can be viewed in their natural habitat. None of the animals are fenced (well except the Lions and we will discuss that later).
We were given directions to the city of Worcester, a few hours drive from Capetown. When we made the turn off of the main road we appeared to be headed to the Mountains. I think this is the appropriate time to mention that my long standing (at least two weeks long) love affair with the Mountain is over. I have found another…
Or should I say, “Others”?
The mountains here make Table Mountain look like a “flat rock”. These mountains are massive, jagged and imposing. They surround the reserve like a large ring. If the animals want to run away they would have to climb over the mountain. I guess most of them can’t and the others have what they need so they don’t. Instead, the people are fenced. If you stay at the lodge or live in one of the farms nearby, you are fenced in by electric fences. Seems to work.
Loved these mountains
Snow on top of this mountain.
This is a look back at the lodge and the cottages that you can rent by the week if you want to stay for awhile. They have “viewing decks” at each one so you can sit outside and watch the animals. (This is why there is a fence between the Lions and everything else).
The road continued for a few miles before we came to the entrance.
After singing some papers (that release them from liability in case the lions eat us) we were given directions to the lodge and instructions. “Don’t stop on the road, don’t, under any circumstances, get out of your car. Don’t open your windows. If you do encounter animals on the road, wait for them to pass. If they become dominant and you feel threatened, back up”. Hmmm. A little scary but I’m still in. We were only a few minutes down the road before we passed this big guy just off to the side.
He was so close to the road that I could have hit him with a rock. He didn’t seem too bothered by us and continued to remove the top growth on the tree next to him.
He stepped out from behind the bushes to get a better look but decided we weren't all that interesting.
Next stop was the lodge.
The experience starts with lunch. Who knew game watching could make you so hungry? We gathered on the large deck where they have a huge charcoal fire that they cook grits on. No kidding. I leave the south and come half way around the world and they serve grits!! Well, thankfully, that wasn’t all they offered.
When we reserved a spot they said we could be joining a group of up to 12 people on the drive. Fortunately for us, it being winter and all, we were the only ones there on this day. Another private tour!! Yeah!! I felt kind of bad for the owner since he did the lunch as if 20 people were coming. It was fully staffed with cooks and servers and all for just the two of us. We relaxed on the observation deck and right from where we sat we could see Springbok grazing out in the fields in front of us.
Our choices for lunch were Calamari steaks (I didn’t even know calamari came in steaks), lamb chops, and steak (the usual kind), ostrich sausage and a curry marinated chicken. You picked out what you wanted (all of them if you were so inclined) and took them to the lady at the charcoals.
While she cooked ‘em up they brought salad and soup. The calamari steak was out of this world. It was incredibly tender with just the right seasoning. I loved it. The ostrich sausage was good too but Calamari steak was my new culinary love. We finished with pineapple tart, which was not a tart at all, but a luscious mouse that tasted like an airy pineapple whip. Oh so good! Finally, it was time to go and all we were waiting for was the ranger to come and get us.
You can hear the vehicle he drives coming from a long way off. He pulls up to the raised platform and you get on. It has rows of benches and is open all around. So much for the protection afforded by the vehicle.
Ranger “Dave” was a really fun guy. The kind you would like to go to the pub with or great at a Frat party. But did I want to trust my life to him? Here’s Ranger Dave.
After a short briefing, where he told us he would never endanger our lives, (I would beg to differ with him after our lion and elephant encounters) we headed out to have a look.
The first field we came to had Springbok grazing in it. They didn’t seem too concerned about us but did keep their distance. They are not very large, compared to the other heading animals. Like little deer about the size of a large dog. (Very tasty, as I found out during my stay in South Africa)
Soon after we found the Springbok a group of Zebra’s wondered in.
We watched them for the longest time and they were fine with showing off for us. One even scratched his back with his legs up in the air. They were fun to watch.
Notice the Wildebeest who decided to join the Zebra heard (no one seemed to mind)
Next we drove along a large, open field with lots of fresh grass and we spotted a few Cape Buffalo. These are some gnarly creatures. They are the second largest cause of death to humans in Africa (second only to the Hippo) and I was worried about the Lions! They also genetically carry hoof and mouth disease. They don’t get sick from it themselves but they can transmit it to other animals. There are a few strains that are disease free and these guys were (so the ranger said).
Not the prettiest girls at the party but interesting in their own way. We never saw large herds of them. Just a few here and there but when they were in a field it was obvious they had grazing rights!
We saw some beautiful Oryx. Ranger Dave mentioned that they are shy and don’t usually ever come in close. Here’s what they look like from a picture I found on the web.
Here are the two we saw. I zoomed in but you can tell they are way up on a hill top. They often stay in tall grass to be covered. We saw them a few more times but always slipping through the grass and never out in the wide open.
We left the grassy slopes and headed over to the “Watering Hole”. Across the water, in the trees, you could see an elephant.
There was another one around somewhere because these guys are brothers and they always hang around together. In elephant years they are adolescents and that's a problem. They act like teenage boys and like to tear up stuff. He said an elephants idea of having fun is to knock something over or tear something (roots and all) up from the ground. It wasn't long before we saw it all.
Here is the brother
The dangerous duo
While we watched them they pushed a few trees over and went head to head with each other pushing bank and forth in some sort of game. You could hear the trees "crack" each time they pushed one down.
You can really appreciate some of their handy work (pushed over trees) at this distance. They must be curious by nature because even though we were happy looking at him across the waterhole, one of the boys came in for a closer look at us.
We were parked by a row of trees just watching the waterhole. We had taken our eyes off the elephants for a few minutes while the Ranger was filling us in on their usual antics. Suddenly, one of them stepped out from behind the trees. I was surprised we didn't hear him coming but we didn’t. It was quite startling.
Then he turned and came towards the truck (Oh dear!) I saw the guide slip the shifter into reverse but did not move the vehicle.
He came closer and began to “fan” his very large ears.
He picked up some sand and "blew" it at us. I guess he was giving us the old "nice to see you now get the heck out of here"!
At this point he was so close I could see his eyelashes. That’s closer than I really wanted to be (all the while Bob is standing up in the truck taking pictures like a mad man).
The ranger must have been a little worried because he began to race the motor really hard. Much to my surprise the elephant pulled up, took a step back, turned and headed down the road.
Whew!! Fun, but a little scary. (I said a little) Because they are still young males they are just beginning to assert dominance. At the moment, the racing motor backs them down but apparently they have tried to ram the truck a time or two. Soon, that trick won’t work and then up close encounters like this won’t be possible.
Next were Ostriches.
It turns out, everything you have ever heard is true. They are dumb, big, fast and nasty. They don’t make good parents. Well, they try, said the Ranger. Apparently they are good at losing their young. If they are raising a chick and they get startled or scared (you know the old “stick your head in the sand") they might run fast to get away. Like to a big mound of grass because they think you can’t see them there. Then after the danger is gone…oops…can’t find the kids. They had about 33 chicks to start this year and only nine made it. They are all over the reserve. Sometimes in large groups and sometimes mixed in with others.
He also said they have a huge, sharp toenail and very powerful back legs. If they get a mind to, they can kick you very hard and slash you with that knife like toenail.
While watching the Ostriches, a herd of Eland came in. I didn’t know much about them before but here is what I learned.
The cow like eland is the world's largest antelope and is the animal most often depicted in the early rock art of East Africa.
I did see one of those at the South African Museum.
Even today, it still holds an important place in the mythology of some southern African tribes.
The Eland may be the world's largest antelope but it is also the slowest. However, it has the endurance to maintain a trot indefinitely and can jump an 8 foot fence from a standstill. Both males and females have horns that spiral tightly, though female horns tend to be longer and thinner. A tuft of black hair grows out of the male eland's prominent dewlap, the loose fold of skin that hangs down from the neck. Adult males also have a mat of hair on the forehead that grows longer and denser as the animal ages. Usually fawn or tawny-colored, elands turn gray or bluish-gray as they get older; the oldest animals become almost black.
The White Rhino
We left the Elands in search of another waterhole. Since it is winter, the animals tend to congregate near water. On our way there, we pulled up on a White Rhino. Only a shallow ditch separated us from him and I had no doubt he could cross it if he wanted to.
He browsed a bit and then took off in the other direction. The term "White Rhino" is not really about the color. Both white and black Rhinos are the same color. It comes from the Dutch word for "wide lipped". These guys are grazers ( eat grass and stuff off the ground) and the Black Rhino is a "browser" and eats from bushes and small trees.
It was about this time the ranger asked if we were ready to see the lions. We said sure, but in truth, I didn’t think it would be a big deal because they were separated from the reserve by a large fence. I understood the wisdom of this for the safety of the visitors and preserving the lives of all the other furry creatures that called this place home. I expected to drive along the fence and look at them inside (if they were even visible). As we approached the gate, the ranger hit a remote control device in the truck and the large gate opened and viola, we were on the other side WITH the Lions. OK, nobody mentioned this. What about that part where they never put your life in danger??
We drove around for awhile. Our truck went over hills and through thick grass but no sign of the Lions. When I was just about to give up and head for the still open gate (it was electrified on the ground so the Lions won’t cross it) we saw him. There he was, a beautiful male with a huge, yellow mane.
He was lying in some scrub vegetation along the far edge of the fence. He seemed relaxed and like most cats was seeking out a “sunspot”.
Soon, we head this low, deep roar and it was the female.
She paced and roared and it was a bit chilling, to say the least. I asked why she was doing that and he said because they were supposed to be fed today but the guy who usually fetched the food (chickens) had forgotten so they wouldn’t get fed until tomorrow. This news was not comforting in any way.
The female joined the male and they walked away out of sight but you could still her roar. The guide said it was very unusual for her to do that. The only time he had heard her do that before was at night and never with people inside the fence. He told us how lucky we were. We were still alive so I agreed with him.
Enough of the Lions! I was not unhappy when we crossed back to the other side of the fence but I did feel like I had seen something very exciting and very beautiful.
After that, seeing Wildebeests was somehow anticlimactic. I never saw huge numbers of them. But many, here and there, scattered in with other animals. They seemed peaceful enough. I guess they weren’t having the urge to migrate yet!
On the other side they are raising some lion cubs. Eventually, when they are old enough, they will be introduced to the other Lions. Hopefully, they will be accepted into the pride and can live outside the fence. At the moment, they were like big play cats. The ranger went inside with them and played for some time while we watched from outside. I was fine with it. Very soon they will be too big to play like this. The male is very loving but the females already show signs of “stalking” when he comes inside the enclosure.
Here is" Monster" the young male going in for the "attack"
The female joined "Monster" and quickly established her territory.
We ended with our visit to the Lion Cubs. What a great day. Our game ride was over but we loved every minute of it. Tomorrow we are hoping to go to the World of Birds and see some of the different species of birds in Africa. Then, we will fly on to Amsterdam to meet our friend Jeff and spend the day together.
Love to you all,
Christine
.JPG)
