Thanksgiving Safari So-far-i - Part 1

While most Americans were searching for the best Black Friday deals, I was riding through Kruger National Park searching for a leopard.  Yeah, it was an unforgettable Thanksgiving.

Since Thanksgiving is not celebrated in South Africa, people work through November to the sounds of ever increasing Christmas decorations and music (the Waterfront Mall nearby has been decorated since we got here mid October).  Since the project centre is comprised of homesick Americans, the students get an extended weekend for Thanksgiving to spend as they please.  Nearly every year, the students have decided to go on safari, and ours was no exceptions.  There are many safari options closer to Cape Town, but the consensus is usually that while in Africa, to get the most out of the experience by gong to Kruger National Park, which is in the northeastern part of South Africa.

Entrance to the Apartheid Museum

The safari package we chose was a 3-day tour, from Thursday to Saturday.  We left Cape Town on Wednesday morning to fly to Johannesburg.  While there, we visited the Apartheid Museum, which documents the history of apartheid in South Africa. It was really interesting, and a vey well designed museum.  When you received your ticket, you were randomly assigned a race either "white" or "non-white".   I was "non-white for the day".  You have to enter through different gates, and upon entering you feel a moment of confusion as you are separated from your group, wondering how different of an experience you will receive.  After walking down a few winding hallways, the "segregation" ends.  The courtyards are decorated with subtle tones of white and black, and occasional ornaments of the South African colours.  The rest of the museum is very informative.  I would recommend it to anyone visiting Johannesburg.

Museum courtyard

The Joburg landscape is very different from Cape Town.  We have been used to the mountainous city, and found the flat landscape a bit unsettling.  Some of the architecture reminds me of Philadelphia, but the city is definitely dirtier.  Perhaps because of the flat landscape (I don't fully understand the environmental science of it) but the air feels a bit polluted and grimy. 

View of Johannesburg (from Museum)

We stayed at a lodge called Mo Afrika, which is a bit outside the city.  It is actually very secluded, so those of us who forgot to pack a toothbrush or other basic supplies had to pay a worker to drive us to the nearest store.  The lodge was comfortable, and very well decorated.  That night it stormed heavily while we played pool and cards until we went to bed.

Mo Afrika Lodge

Thursday morning our safari experience began at 9 am with a 6 hour bus ride to our next destination.  We stopped at a game reserve, which is a privately owned place to see animals, just in time for a sunset drive.  It was there that I discovered that I had left my sweatshirt (a cheap brown zip up I've had for years) at the lodge in Johannesburg.  Though disappointed and chilly, I decided it would be a good opportunity to buy a souvenir jacket the next chance I got.

The goal of anyone going on an African safari is to see the "Big 5". These animals are iconic of Africa, and sometimes difficult to spot due to either their stealth or endangered status.  The big five are buffalo, lions, elephants, rhinos, and leopards.  Of course people want to see other animals such as giraffes and zebra and impala (African deer), but after a short drive one will discover that these are very common sights.  Sure enough, on our sunset drive we saw many of giraffes and impala.  We also made a good start on the "big 5" by spotting a buffalo and a small pride of sleeping lions.

 

Beds

After it got dark, we drove 15 minutes to our accommodations for the weekend, Marc's Treehouse Lodge.  The "treehouses" were more like log cabins on stilts, with running water and electricity, and mosquito nets around the beds.  There were some buffalo and monkeys that roamed the grounds, for which we were instructed to lock our doors carefully.  You don't want to find a monkey in your bed.  Our "Thanksgiving dinner" was an African braii, or barbecue. 

Our "Treehouse"

Friday morning we left at 8 for a day of driving through Kruger National park, a half hour drive away from our treehouse lodge.  The day started well with the spotting of buffalo, and countless giraffes, zebras, empala, antelope, and even a warthog.  After a bit of driving, we spotted a lion far away in the grass.  We waited a while, because our driver said that lions typically travel together.  Sure enough, after about 5 minutes of waiting we saw movement as a second lion woke up next to the first one.

Clearing the Savannah

  

The highlight of our day was probably the finding of the elephants.  Our first spotting had been two elephants far off in the distance.  Later, we came across a watering hole where a lone male elephant was drinking while hippos swam nearby.  As we watched an elephant emerged on the other side of the pond, followed by another, and another, until 14 elephants were drinking at the pool.  When they were done, we watched them leave in single file. Our driver followed them, and we got to see them process across a road, and then another.

We bought lunch at a rest stop, I bought a fleece, and we continued our drive.  About mid afternoon, we spotted our first rhino.  There is a lot of controversy about rhinos in South Africa.  They are becoming endangered because they are being poached for their horns.  There are advertisements everywhere for "saving the rhinos". So it was kind of a big deal that we saw one. 

The first Rhino!

If you have been keeping track, we had now found four of the "big five."  I had really enjoyed the safari so far, but after 7 hours of keeping my eyes peeled for animals, I was starting to get a little tired.  I would have been satisfied with our sightings, and began to doze in the jeep.  I heard a gasp behind me and voices telling the driver to stop.  I opened my eyes, and saw the last of the "Big 5": the leopard. 

The 25 of us were split into 3 different cars, and ours was the first to come upon the leopard.  Our noise must have scared it, because it got off and started to scamper off, just as the second of our caravan arrived.  They gave chase, and managed to snag a glimpse of the beast.  The third car was not so lucky.

The second rhino

We were elated that we had seen the "big 5", but felt really bad for our friends in the third car.  We drove away, and the third group separated from us to find a leopard for themselves. After a while, we came upon a traffic jam in the road, with the third group in the middle of it.  Apparently they had spotted a pair of leopard cubs.  Craning their necks, about half of those in my car got to see the cubs for themselves, but not enough to take a picture.  Still we had all seen the "Big 5" in one day, which is apparently a rarity.  In fact, our second spotting of a rhino on the way out brought us to seeing the "Big 5" twice in our trip, or the "Big 10" as we now call it.

Sunset on Kruger National Park

Satisfied, we returned to the treehouse lodge for dinner (rice, beans and macaroni), and interesting religious discussions around a fire.  One of our group is Jewish, and has been celebrating Hanukkah (which started on Wednesday) as best as she can.  Unable to find a menorah in South Africa, she has been fashioning makeshift ones out of anything she can find.  In this case, an empty soda can.

Armed guide on the bush walk

Saturday we had a 6 am bush walk around the grounds of the lodge with an armed guard.  It was far less exciting than it sounds.  Though he carried a rifle as a precaution, our guide has never had to use it in his 5 years working.  He spent the hour showing us trees, plants, and dung that is used in herbal African medicine.  Interesting, but not exactly an adventure worth the early hour.  After an African breakfast, (eggs, fruit and chili), it was another 6 hour bus ride to the Johannesburg airport.  At this point, a cramped journey with people we have been living with for 5 weeks is not the most enjoyable experience, but bearable with music and sleep. We took a slightly longer, scenic route back, stopping at Blyde River Canyon with one of the best views I have ever seen.

Blyde River Canyon