Kruger National Park

Kruger Park

Hippos in Kruger Park

 

Sheri at the Three Rondovals in Blyde Canyon

 

Sheri and Curtis left Johannesburg and drove east through the low hills and tan dead winter grasslands and fallow fields towards Kruger National Park. On the freeway at several points signs warned of areas of high incidents of carjacking – Do Not Stop. This was in a township area (black slum) that serves a huge mine and grimy mineral processing complex and it looked rough. Fortunately things improved and we arrived in a hilly area filled with pine and eucalyptus plantations. There were a few nice viewpoints; one was called “God’s Window” (abit over the top) which looked down from an escarpment onto the low veld. We overnighted at Trackers Lodge which is run by a former Rhodesian couple, Dave and Julienne. It’s set in the middle of a huge parcel of wild land below beautiful mountain cliffs. Julienne cooked us a fine homemade meal, and Dave told us stories of the old days on the veranda of their home overlooking the low veld. Sheri was in heaven playing with their seven Dachshunds. We put up our tent and slept in absolute quiet looking up through the netting at the Milky Way.

Dave and friend at Trackers Lodge

 Next day we trudged to the base of the cliffs where we came upon a group of screaming Baboons at a small creek. We left Trackers and drove to the Phalaborwa gate of Kruger National Park. The large park is at the eastern edge of South Africa and consists of bone dry scrub lands with a few stony hills. The attraction is wildlife. Upon entering we noticed there were huge piles of elephant dung everywhere on the road. And boom we’re not in the park 10 minutes and there’s a bunch of Impala. Then two bull elephants. Then a waterhole with hippos and crocodiles and on and on. We just picked random roads and drove around and sooner or later there was wildlife. We were booked in at a “primitive’ campground and were required to arrive by 5:30 pm when they close the gate for the night to keep the critters out. We were a little pressed for time when we came across a huge bull elephant that was walking towards us and taking the road. Curtis spent a good half hour backing up with the elephant coming on until there was a spot to get off. The elephant went by dribbling a continuous stream of strong urine (I guess they do this) and making a noise like a slow rolling Jake brake. We stayed at Balule Camp, which is a nice treed spot next to the Olifant River. It’s surrounded by a six foot electric fence. Hippos were splashing in the river and a hyena patrolled the exterior looking food scraps tossed over the fence by naughty campers. We stayed in a Rondavel – a round thatched roof hut - which was spotlessly clean. We had hurricane lamps for light and common showers and kitchen and a screened hut with fridge and freezer (this is a primitive camp?). People were sitting around their braais (BBQs) and chatting while hippos snorted and growled in the river. Their sound is something like a slow cranking Volkswagen on a cold day with a low battery. And so we went on for three days.

Biobao Tree

Kudu

We met some Afrikaners who are white people who speak a type of dutch-german or such. They all were complaining about how crappy everything is run now since the black South Africans have control. In the back of my mind I was thinking about how the blacks must have felt when the Afrikaners where in charge – forced relocations, compelled to live in slums, no economic opportunity, subject to false arrest, torture, summary executions, victims of state sponsored terrorism; they might have a different take on the situation.