This morning’s drive was a bit of a bust. We drove around and saw lots of animals, but heard that there had been a sighting of two cheetahs. We headed for the area, cast back and forth, all eyes peeled, but nothing seen. We had a bit of a thrill at one point when we came around a bend on the dirt road and saw a big bull elephant headed toward us. The driver immediate slammed the truck into reverse and backed away, and the elephant shortly veered off the road and into the tree line. Afterward, the guide explained that the elephant was in musth (secreting an overabundance of testosterone through glands in his cheeks), was in pain and agitated, and would have loved nothing more than to tangle with our truck.
After a late breakfast back at Black Rhino Lodge, we loaded up in the van and Hayden drove us toward Kruger National Park on the eastern border of South Africa. Kruger is several times larger than our first two preserves combined, and everyone tells us it will be a fantastic time.
We drove through some gorgeous rolling green hills, through farms, pine and eucalyptus plantations, and quaint towns filled with golf courses, guest houses, trout fishing, and more restaurants. Hayden tells us this area is a favorite recreation destination for the city dwellers in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
We have stopped about 75 per cent of the way to Kruger so we can overnight at a B&B in the town of Lydenburg. We had pretty good food and drinks at a nearby restaurant called “The Spur”, a themed restaurant based on cowboys and Indians! Prices seem to be very low in South Africa, for the few consumables that we’ve seen so far, much less expensive than New Zealand or Europe.
Our home for the night was the former mayor’s residence. Next morning, we had a great breakfast from our hosts, as good as the best breakfast we’ve ever had at an English B&B. We then climbed a bit more out of Lydenburg, up into some very dense fog that limited our visibility quite a bit. We stopped in a pretty upland town called Graskop for lunch, at a really fun pancake house. They had about 40 different pancakes on the menu, all wrapped around either sweet or savory fillers. I had chili con carne, cheddar, and sour cream, Anita had spinach and feta.
After that, we strolled around and did our first souvenir shopping. Nothing bought yet, but lots learned!
We visited a couple of gorgeous waterfalls en route, and had fun learning more about our cameras and some of the more rarely-used settings.
Tonight is the first of two nights at Casa do Sol, a beautiful resort still in the upland area, but definitely at a lower elevation that alpine Graskop. Casa do Sol’s extensive gardens are loaded with banana, bougainvillea, palms, and other tropical plants. Delicious T-bones for dinner, more exploration of the area tomorrow.
Some assorted interesting facts about South Africa:
All gas stations are full service
The default choice for middle/upper class women for child delivery is Caesarian
The largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere is in South Africa, we drove past it, and didn’t get any pictures!
