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South Africa Maruleng

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  • South Africa 2025
    1
    Day 25

    Hungry hungry hippos

    April 25 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we took a family trip to see Jessica the ever-so-famous hippo.
    Last year she had a 2 weeks old newborn calf, and wasn't to be bothered, so we socialised with her grown up adopted child Seun instead.
    This time around, her calf being old enough to be left alone a little, she came around with Seun for the snacks.

    Those are free hippos. Both were orphans raised by the people who own this property, but they can come and go as they please, they just seem to believe that they are part of the family.

    They are somewhat less dangerous than wild hippos, but only because they choose to be...    Read more

  • South Africa 2025
    Day 24

    Return of the Dark-Menace

    April 24 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    (News from the front)

    Dear reader, if you followed our South African adventure last year, you know that, during our stay at Avron's aunt's estate (Mawusi), we got woken up in the middle of the night by a ruffle in the backyard, only to be faced when we opened the window with the shadow of the most enormous kudu ever: "the Dark Menace".
    At the time, he had munched on the protected young trees in the garden and massacred them.

    When we visited before our Kruger safari this year, we rejoiced at the trees having regained their fullness and health after their ordeal.
    "But everything changed, when the Dark Menace attacked (again)"
    We received this video from the courageous Cathy fending off the invader who had breached the perimeter.
    As you can see, the little tree is almost intact by then.

    But the walls of Mawusi couldn't resist the second wave, and a section collapsed, leading to untold massacres during the following nights. You can see what the trees look like now...

    So now it is once again time to rebuild, and Avron has been hard at work doing just that.

    Mawusi is safe again. But for how long ?!
    😄    Read more

  • South Africa 2025
    1123
    Day 17

    Last Kruger day

    April 17 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Today was a very slow day, with literal hours without any animal sighting, quite surreal.
    And yet we had a couple of great encounters! So fear not, we have more pics to shove down your throat 😄

    In order of appearance we have:
    - A pregnant hyena who just wanted to chill on the warm road in the chilly morning.
    - An African fish-eagle in a tree.
    - The most random encounter with an African squirrel (they are everywhere but so skittish!)
    - A few adorable baby buffalos with their tiny knobbly horns.
    - A Malachite kingfisher (So tiny, Avron outdid himself with this one)
    - Another African fish-eagle, surveying a water hole, with a heard of hippos sunning themselves in the background.
    - A young lion and lioness engaged in their hours long ritual of 10 seconds of mating / 15 minutes snooze, rinse, repeat...
    That last one was a great way for us to close our Kruger experience, and head home for some celebratory cocktails (mango slushies from Wimpy made better with the addition of Malibu from the camp shop 😄)    Read more

  • South Africa 2025
    4
    111
    Day 11

    Hoedspruit

    April 11 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Bye bye Cape Town, hello beautiful Hoedspruit.
    Although it is only our second time at Cathy's place, it feels like home away from home.
    And the local wildlife also made us feel very welcome with a couple of kudus in the backyard, and warthog and guinea fowls on the way to the shops...

    Tomorrow is the start of a week in the Kruger park. So expect an avalanche of animal pictures. You have been warned!    Read more

  • South Africa 2025
    1
    Day 28

    The three Rondavels

    April 28 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    For our last day in South Africa, we took a day trip to one of the most breathtaking places in the world: the Three Rondavels.
    (Rondavels are the round huts often found in Africa, and as you can see there's three of these mountains shaped like Rondavels).
    And as Angela was free today and had never seen it, she joined us at the last minute which was an unexpected treat.

    To do something different, we started with a different access, from below, near the Blyde river, which was beautiful and took us both to a lovely waterfall in the forest, as well as to the abandoned set of the Australian "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here" show.

    We didn't realise that the route that would then take us from the river at the bottom to the viewpoint at the top would have us backtrack and make a ridiculous loop through the plains, up a different canyon, and along the plateau, so we made it just in time to enjoy the low sun on this magnificent view.

    This is one of my very favorite places in the world, it's hard to convey its serene majesty with pictures only...

    A link to a photosphere below:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/c9MSMBgr6AdD9nv68    Read more

  • South Africa 2025
    Day 18

    The wedding

    April 18 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    It felt strange not adding a footprint for the wedding that took us back to South Africa in the first place: Avron's cousin Angela and her husband Evgeny.
    We didn't take many pictures, because there was a photographer doing that much better than we do, so we'll probably make a footprint when these pictures are released.
    But the venue, an old tobacco shed in the middle of a grapefruit orchard, by the foot of the local mountain range, was too pretty not to show you.    Read more

  • TravelerIt Started As A 2 Week Cruise
    22
    Day 2

    A Very Early Start

    December 29, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    It was up at 4:45am this morning to be ready for the 5:30am drive. Out here, the early bird catches the worm, translates into the early cheetah catches the baby wildebeest. Which is exactly what we witnessed after 45 mins or so. I always thought these things were quite quick, but it seems cheetahs actually strangle their prey, which in this instance took around 10 mins. I did feel really sorry for the wildebeest, though 3 hours later I was tucking into bacon and sausages for breakfast, so I suppose you do need to keep a sense of perspective.

    On leaving the room at just after 5am this morning there was a hyena on the path about 5 yards from our door. I think I was more intrigued than concerned, but it was probably just as well he soon made off, as I didn't really know what to do.

    We were back for breakfast by 9am and then spent a relaxing morning and afternoon, only interupted by lunch, until it was time to go out again just before 4pm.

    On this afternoon's drive we saw a couple of lounging lions who after a stroll got quite frisky. Then an elephant with a very young calf, a couple of rhinos and some old buffalos grazing away without a care in the world.

    Then it was back in time for a quick beer round the campsite with the other guests before dinner and an early night. We were the last to head off to bed, at around 9:30pm. One thing they are quite strict on is that after dark everyone has to be escorted back to their rooms just in case of any encounters. Showering in our outdoor shower before bed always has my mind racing about what might be out there in the darkness. Never showered so fast in all my life!    Read more

  • TravelerIt Started As A 2 Week Cruise
    32
    Day 1

    A Very, Very Long Day

    December 28, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    At 8am we landed in Johannesburg after a 10.5 hour flight with very little sleep and perhaps a couple too many gin and tonics.

    On exiting the plane we were immediately met by a guy who fast tracked us through immigration, collected our luggage, took us to check in for our onward flight to Hoedspruit and dropped us off at the departure gate in plenty of time for our plane.

    The hour's flight brought us in to land at an airstrip in the middle of the bush close to the Kruger national park. The isolation and few amenities reminded me of the film Wild Geese, I was expecting Richard Burton and Richard Harris to pop up at any minute with an entourage of mercenaries.

    Instead we were taken to our safari camp arriving a full 22 hrs after leaving home. After high tea, we set off at 4pm for the first of six game drives over the next 3 days. We managed to see some lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, eagles, vultures and wild dogs and were back, just after dark, around 7:30pm, . It was an early night after dinner. Although there is no jetlag as it's only a 2hour time difference, I was really tired from the travelling and next to no sleep overnight on the plane.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdafrika, Südostasien uvm
    Day 28

    Kruger Nationalpark 6.Tag

    December 22, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Somit ist auch schon der letzte Tag im Kruger gekommen. Wir haben ausgeschlafen, gefrühstückt, gepackt und uns von allen verabschiedet.

    Gegen halb 10 sind wir im Kruger. Heute haben wir einige Kilometer vor uns. Zum Glück hat es heute auch wieder bis zu 40Grad 🥵. Wir sehen nochmal ganz viele Elefanten, Zebras, Büffel, Giraffen, Impalas, Affen und einiges mehr. Wir sehen auch die Überreste eines Büffels.

    Gegen 18:00 kommen wir in unserem Hostel an. Leider nicht so schön wie das letzte und wir sind die einzigen hier. Was einem irgendwie immer ein komisches Gefühl gibt. Noch dazu haben wir gerade einen Skorpion entdeckt, was zumindest eine von uns etwas unruhig macht.

    Morgen geht es über die Panoramaroute nach Johannesburg. Für unsere letzte Nacht in Südafrika 🇿🇦    Read more

    See translation
  • TravelerJacqueline
    1
    11
    Day 12

    Blyde River Canyon Bootsfahrt

    November 3, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 34 °C

    Es gaht mir hüt scho wieder guet...Pharma sei dank. Uf die 11i simmer denn uf s'Boot und de Fluss uf. Es isch verbote da go bade, wills Krokodil und Nilpferd het. De Guide han ich gar nid verstande. Mis Änglisch isch ja gar nid guet, aber de hett no en Zulu slang gah...Joanne hett ihn au nid guet verstande. Es isch aber au so schön gsi...die höche Felse und Berge...zum Glück isch immer ächli es Lüftli gange, isch ja am 11i scho 37 Grad gsi!
    Mer hend Hippos gseh und es Krokodil. Die hend das gseht und hend extra no en Chreis gmacht. Vo de Gäscht hetti das niemmer gseh...aber die hend es Aug defür. E Gans isch 3 Meter denebed gstande...ob sie's überläbt hett wüssed mer nid...mer sind vorher wiiter. Nach 1,5 Stund simmer wieder an Land...zum Glück isches nid so heiss...im Auto hetts koched. Knapp bim Igang zue hett no en Weg zume Wasserfall. De simmer denn no gloffe und das vill am Schatte. I knapp 15 Minute simmer det gsi..es paar hetts gha wo baded hend. De Wasserfall isch nid so höch gsi und hett au wenig Wasser gha, aber trotzdem schön.
    Wo mer wieder bim Auto achömed hüpft grad an Pavian ufen Abfallchübel, hett de ufgmacht, aber d'Usbüüti isch nid de Hammer gsi für ihn. Vor dene muss mer mega ufpasse. Die chlaued alles und sind nid schüüch. Darum...im Huus wie au im Auto...IMMER alli Tür und Fenschter zue mache.
    De Bischi hett e gueti Idee gah und so simmer dihei grad is Restaurant füre und hend en Dom Pedro trunke. (Dom Pedro isch mit Vanilleglace und Amarula Likör...schaurig fein!)
    Nochli Bricht schriebe und tschille und bald gits Znacht wo mir vom Restaurant divorne bstellt hend. Die mached am 4 zue und hend euis das glieffered. Härdöpfelgratin, Bobotie, (südafikanisches Fleischgricht) Chicken Curry und Salat. So chömmer vo allem probiere. En Guete!    Read more

    See translation

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