A Brief but Fabulous Safari

Over the years that we lived in South Africa, Paul and I had been fortunate enough to visit the game reserves on many occasions but this didn't stop us from wanting more.  I don't think one can ever get enough of these experiences and, now that we're so close to some of those reserves, we just had to have that one last safari.  

Along with Tanya from Pedoja (her partner, Don, was too busy supervising boat work), we took a three day trip up to St Lucia and Hluhluwe/Imfolosi game reserves just north of Richard's Bay.  

A 9-month old Cheetah

Firstly, we booked to visit the Emdoneni Animal Care & Rehabilitation Centre, a fabulous project whereby Africa's endangered cats receive care if, for a variety of reasons, they are unable to survive on their own and any offspring are nurtured until they can be released back into the wild.  We learned about the African wild cat, ancestors of our domestic cats but threatened with extinction due to impure  breeding.  We saw beautiful specimens of caracal whose status is considered of concern; the serval, considered threatened and finally, the cheetah which is extremely vulnerable and considered endangered.  It was a thrill to see that there is such a caring project in existence, to learn about these magnificent creatures and even get to pat one.  Definitely worth the visit.

Serval

Caracal

  

Next, we went in a boat onto the St Lucia Estuary to search for hippos and found plenty.  Again, a thoroughly enjoyable and educational experience.  Our tour guide was a fountain of knowledge on all things 'hippo' and, as it was the evening trip, we were able to take our sundowners with us to doubly enjoy the excursion.

Elegant creatures

The following morning, we rose before the crack of dawn to arrive at the gates of Imfolosi at opening time so we could have the entire day available to us.  When we were living in Durban many, many years ago, Imfolosi and Hluhluwe were two separate reserves but joined by a corridor that allowed the animals free access between the two, however, humans had no such privilege.  They have now been combined into one much larger park which makes for a much better reserve in every respect. 

White rhino

These two parks are famous for their rhino, in fact, they state that 'every single southern white rhino population in the world has its genetic origins in Hluhluwe/Infolozi Park'.  One of their biggest problems is the constant threat of the poachers in this part of the world and there are massive programs continually being put into place to try to counteract this threat.  We did manage to see two black rhino which are now extremely rare due to poaching.  At one stage, the population of the white rhino was down to a mere 20 animals but they have since thrived under the protection of the Parks board to such an extent that it has allowed translocation to other reserves.  Poaching, however, is still a very serious problem; we heard that two had been killed within the park very recently.  

We saw a total of 26 white and 2 black rhino; a very good tally indeed.  In addition, we were thrilled with the number of giraffes we encountered as well as kudu, nyala, wildebeest, hundreds of Impala, lots of buffalo, zebra, a few warthogs, birds galore but only one solitary elephant.  All in all, a great day.

We considered going back again the following day but after sitting in a car driving along the dirt roads for over 14 hours, we felt satisfied with our one outing besides, we had to get the car back to Richard's Bay by mid afternoon which would have meant that another trip into the reserve would have been a bit rushed.  Instead, we had a more relaxed start to the day then visited a local cheese farm which was also very interesting.  We even tried our hand at milking a goat.









PHOTO ALBUM:

The fruit and craft  market on the way up to St. Lucia

  

African Wild Cat

Serval

The magnificent Cheetah

We got right up close to two big males

And the thrill of stroking one while he purred

Weaver and nest waiting to attract a mate

Get a load of those teeth!

Braai area at the lodge

Curious zebras

View across the reserve southwards

Male impala

Impala mom and baby

I think they were only playing

Male Kudu

Beautifully ugly warthog

Blue Wildebeest

Dung beetle taking home his 'prize'

A lofty outlook

Not sure we correctly identified this as a Steppe Buzzard

A severely injured rhino

Such grace

The hippos wander the town of St Lucia at night

Goat's milk cheese in the making

Seasons wishes to all

 

Our incredible journey is nearing the end.....a sad thought indeed.  As we sit here anchored in South African waters again, we can look back on many unbelievable adventures, places, people, phenomenal friends and outstanding memories.

This collage of photos cannot possibly do justice to the year but does include some old friends remet along with a few who were so very helpful and supportive in the tougher times.

2016 proved to be a year of some major ups and downs.  I lost my 94-year old Mom in March followed by more than our fair share of severe mishaps which almost finished things prematurely, placing us in a few situations where we honestly thought, "this is it, we can no longer carry on".  But miracles do happen and, most of all, there were those friends who were there to give that essential boost and moral support which got us back on our feet again.

During the more trying times, dear Calypso suffered a few set backs but regardless, she continued to prove just how solid she is.  At the time that we purchased her, we were a couple of totally inexperienced rookies which makes us marvel at our luck in choosing her.  How did we manage to get that so right?!

We still have about another 1000nm to cover before closing the complete circle but we aren't rushing it.  How does one suddenly end such a lifestyle?  No, we'll take it slowly to make the most of the little time we have left.

Sadly, we will be saying farewell to so many of our cruising friends but life will bring on new adventures and challenges; we still have so much to look forward to as we plan the next stage of our lives.

For all those who entered our lives while out there, we will miss you terribly but you gave us memories to keep forever and nothing can take those away.  As you carry on towards your own home ports, we wish you fair winds; stay safe and, who knows, we may just meet up again somewhere, somehow.

To all our friends, landlubbers and cruisers alike, we wish you everything of the best for a great Christmas season and especially for the forthcoming year.

Happy 2017 to you all

Love from Paul and Maureen aboard Calypso 

Richards Bay, South Africa

What a strange feeling being back in the land we had left twelve years ago; seeing old familiar shops and products I haven't seen during all that time, hearing Afrikaans and Zulu again, experiencing a traditional South African 'braai' and just generally feeling "we're back home" but with a difference.

It's still early days but our first impressions are ones of shock at how prices have increased.  It's a big mistake to try to compare prices as we remember them so we're having to rather convert them to US dollars to put things into perspective.  In that way, we can see that many things are cheaper here but not significantly so any more.  

So far, we're very impressed with the level of service received wherever we go compared to what we remember.  SA was not known for friendly outgoing service when compared to most western countries and I know some friends who passed through a year ago were not overly enamoured, but we have found everyone incredibly accommodating and cheerful - with the exception of the surly immigration lady (but hey, it was a Monday, maybe she hadn't quite got going yet!).  Perhaps this was always the case in Richard's Bay, who knows, but we're very pleasantly surprised. 

There is nowhere to anchor out so we've pulled into the Zululand Yacht Club which has a great atmosphere and facilities.  It has a swimming pool, laundry room, a pub and small restaurant that puts on a fabulous braai every Friday night.  They light the fires for us to use every Monday when the bar is closed so we can do our own thing. Their food and beer/wine is much cheaper than elsewhere too.  I'd forgotten that South Africans were such big meat eaters - I watched in amazement as huge dinnerplate sized steaks were delivered or the rack of ribs which flopped over the edges of the plate.  Even an order of chicken was half a chicken!  No wonder there are so many obese people around these parts. We were more moderate: we had ostrich medallions, a normal sized portion.

One of the first things we wanted to do was sort out our drivers licenses and credit cards.  So far so good as I was able to, fairly easily, get a temporary license despite my card having expired some seven years ago.  I had feared that I may have to take the test all over again.  Paul had a slight hurdle with his but that it's not going to be a major problem.  We've also been able to order new credit cards, something that had become a serious issue with us over the past few years as our bank refused to send new ones out of the country.

While here, we want to visit a couple of the nearby game reserves.  Most of the cruisers have been on safaris and come back with enthusiasm at their sightings so we must do so as well as its unlikely we'll ever have the opportunity again.

Meanwhile, Paul continues on with various boat jobs; they are never ending.  We've had to take the plunge with regards to our mainsail; we ordered a new one as the old tissue-thin one would never have got us safely back to Cape Town.   Let's just hope it will add some value to dear Calypso when it comes time to sell.

Sunny South Africa?  Nope, not at the moment.  Its unseasonably cool, very blustery and the water temperature is damned cold!  Today is positively horrible but thank goodness, three boats left Inhaka and got here safely just before a huge blow.  There are still a few remaining behind as they didn't think they could make it.   These are all boats that left Madagascar at the same time as us too.  We continue to cross our fingers and hold thumbs for them.