STUCK IN THE KRUGER
For over 17 months apart from occasional bouts of loose motion syndrome, we have avoided all that Africa could throw at us. Malaria, Sleeping sickness, Beri Beri, and Legionnaires Disease, but tis sad to report that my wife has come down with a serious case of Game Park Fever. The symptoms are a constant and unreasonable desire to view animals for 24 hours per day, to drive on countless and pointless expeditions into the bush…”just in case”….
In truth the Kruger is probably the most fertile park in Africa in terms of game so hardly a day goes by without our seeing a proliferation of lion, elephant, hippo, and buffalo.
However the downside is that you are always watching game along with about ten other vehicles, since all roads are tarred and its really a bit like Headley with lions.
So you really don’t need to scan the horizon or examine elephant dung for its freshness, you just have to look for traffic jams.
Two cars mean an elephant…three a buffalo, four a rhino and five or more a lion, and when people spot anything there is a fight to get into the best position, which usually results in cars stopping anywhere, and really not giving two hoots about blocking the roads completely.
We have driven the length and breadth of the Kruger Park now, and can speak authoritatively on the different geologies, vegetation and eco systems, and which animals they are most likely to support.
I thought Janet was making a recovery when 4 days ago we ventured out to see the miracles of the Drakensberg Mountains, but after 3 days we seemed to be missing our daily fix of game drives so back we have come.
Our sojourn out of the Kruger was very interesting however as we stayed for 2 nights in the Nelspruit Backpackers Guest House. Our book said it and its staff were incredibly laid back, and it sure was with everyone completely out of it most of the time on a combination of lager and dagga. From there we went to get Janets eyes fixed by a proper doctor, and we have to say they were excellent, and since we have experienced medics in
Egypt, Ethiopia, Tanzania Zambia and Malawi this can be said with some authority.
A quick visit to a real supermarket followed and I came out to find Janet chatting to a ery nice man who seemed very interested in our trip. Apparently his daughter is doing something similar in a year or so and he invited us to his Guest House for the night so we could give him some info. We got his waypoints and 3 days later found his Trout Farm some 90k away from where his waypoints indicated. Apart from this his and his wife’s hospitality was superb, and their Guest House wonderful .They turned out to be two of the nicest people we have met on our travels
With a fair wind we will leave the Kruger for good tomorrow, and journey through Swaziland, where we will be staying at….you’ve guessed it the Millwane Wildlife Park
As Henry 11 was reputed to have said
“Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest (woman). Maybe Thomas A Becket had Game Park Fever as well..
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