Tomorrow may be the first day of autumn down here but you couldn’t prove it by the weather. It’s going to be in the 80’s again today. Our friends had told us to prepare for frosty mornings but not so today. We set out early on a drive to Crocodile Bridge via Lower Sabie. Early and late are the best viewing times but you can’t be out between 6:00pm and 6:00am nor can you leave your vehicle lest you meet the same fate as the impala. Today we saw hippos, crocodiles, zebra (really neat), warthogs, wildebeest, several new antelope species, several troops of baboons, countless wonderful and colorful birds, an elephant bathing in a lake, several more giraffes and on the way home, a lion. Lions get most of the press but to me at least, it seems undeserved. I wouldn’t mess with one, but they seem lazy and dilatant-ish. Zebras have a special charm, especially when they are in a herd and the giraffe is stately, his head towering above the dense vegetation. There had been a lot of rain lately and everything is lush, which hampers the viewing.
After lunch we left the park to search out Johan and Johan, B&B owners and friends of the Duemkes, in Melalane. It took some real effort (the B&B is River House, not Johan and Johan’s; it’s in Melalane, not at Crocodile Bridge). They’re a gay couple, 60ish and they have a nice – read expensive! – place. They treated us to beer and wine, listened to our stories and helped us get on a wilderness hike (we hope) tomorrow. But we had to rush home to make curfew and stopped only for the lion photo and a Serengeti-esque photo of zebra, impala and wildebeest. Dinner, a shower, and now relaxation.
The sky is magnificent. It rivals the nights in Utah or Canada except the stars are different. There is no Big Dipper, only the Southern Cross; Orion is in the north – and upside down! Sunrise and sunset – so far – have been brilliant red. The place is spectacular!
Despite all these wonderfully unfamiliar animals we are still drawn to the birds. Such vivid colors, strange beaks, and many have long tail feathers. Driving along, the sound of birdsong is better than any man-made music could be and a welcomed addition after living in Colorado. And speaking of home, two weeks ago we were skiing and now I am writing under the African stars, shirtless and in shorts. Also, no Yanks here so far, but I suspect some of these Afrikaners can be pretty obnoxious, too.
