Hippo! Most dangerous animal in Africa.

Talk to elephant bulls and they listen!

elephants river crossing

two lions for my birthday!

Young elephants tussle.

Young elephants tussle.

Young elephants tussle.

Buffalo kill and its visitors.

Buffalo kill and its visitors.

Talking to elephants! It works.

Wild dogs at Talamati bush camp

Young elephant gives us a power show!

Getting up on the Table!

The huge flat topped massif in the bay was how mariners since Vasco da Gama described the entrance to Table Bay which lies as the best anchorage on the southern tip of Africa. El Cabo de Boa Esperanza, it was called by that intrepid explorer and wanderer of the oceans and it was in fact the gateway to the east: the Spice Islands, India and of course the mysterious lands of Cathay.

The Cape of Good Hope was also called by the more practical minded sailors who feared for life and limb in its stormy waters as the Cape of Storms because of the terrible winds that lashed at their wooden ships and caused them no end of grief.

We often forget the struggles of the ancient seafaring men who opened up the world and for whom going ‘home’ represented 6-10 months of sailing and so many never made it back. Sir Francis Drake left England to circumnavigate the globe with 3 ships and over 400 men with promises of plunder and riches, and came back with 1 ship and a skeleton crew having lost all others to storms and sea battles.

So Table Mountain was a very welcome sight to sailors heading to the Orient in the old days and nowadays it is a most interesting tourist attraction.

The cable car operates on days when the weather is good and it is a breathtaking view of Cape town that greets one a few seconds after it starts. The car itself is round and rotates so everyone gets a full view all around.

The top has the usual curio shops and restaurant obligatory to such places but there is also unique wildlife up there that has become quite used to people. Witness the rock hyrax or dassie as it is called. About as big as a rabbit they live up here among the rocks and tourists, quite happy to sit and pose.

There are also the intrepid adventurers who eschew the cable car and the pathway and prefer to do it the hard way. Climb the massif. Well, good luck buddy better you than me! 

Python in the tree

We were driving along one day and spotted a large number of cars on either side of the road and that in Kruger means there is a predator about. Given where we were on the Lower Sabie road it usually means lions. But I was wrong. The whole crowd of people were staring up into a tree and quite a distance off at that! Which is why the pix are rather awful!

Some waved me over and said “Python eating something in the tree , over there do ya see it hanging?” Now for the life of me I could not figure out what he was talking about, cuz I was looking in the wrong tree. Then I saw it, thick as my thigh with a raptor in its coils and man it was big! Really big. He probably went up there to get a monkey and the eagle of some sort got snacked on. That’s fate for you!

One hot day at the waterhole.

Heading for Satara camp from Tshokwane after a quick breakfast we noticed  a herd of elephants heading north as well and slowed to keep pace with them. They were looking like they might cross over and head for the waterhole just ahead so we took up position facing the waterhole and sure enough there they came. The thing is that we had not seen the whole herd yet. So as we were parked there they came across the road and heading down the slope to drink and it was then that I realized that the rest of them were on  my left and now the car was between two groups from the same herd. One female was none too pleased about this and gave me a couple of real dirty looks but she passed around the back of the car to the rest of the gang giving me and the car a wide berth with no incident at all. It was a bit hairy however having her behind the car and me parked on the embankment but she just passed over and was fine with the rest of the herd.

It’s a delight to watch a herd of elephants relaxing at the waterhole. There are so many special little interactions and it is not unlike a big human family gathering. The older ones more sedately drinking cuz of course they need a LOT of water. The youngest ones with moms and nannies around to keep them safe and the youngsters were pushing shoving ducking and spraying and generally goofing off. A great sighting. Kruger rocks!

Elephants at the weir.

One day was just parked at the weir across a small tributary
of the sabie and watching the hippo basking in the sun when out of the blue a
large herd of elephants bore down on us. Coming at quite a clip they were
obviously thirsty and charged right into the water. The hippo was ignominiously
ousted from his position as boss of the pool and the elephants waded in.

The resident crocodile also got a little start and then he
maintained his position off to one side as the hippo clambered out of the
deepest section and came over to one side.

The herd was obviously heading for some specific place cuz
as quickly as they came they gathered together and in a few minutes were gone.

Hot as hell!

In the arid savanna in the middle of South Africa is place called Hot as hell. Believe it or not its true. Its spelt Hotazel. Same diff!!

Well any way close to here is a large expanse of bush and there live the most amazing little creatures…. Ground squirrels!

The colony I stumbled across was about 50 strong and that is quite average for a colony. They dig burrows into the ground and are very sneaky about coming out of them cuz there are enough predators who would just love a juicy ground squirrel meal. So “look before you leave” is what is posted over the ground squirrel burrow exit. As a gregarious group of animals they forage together in small groups or even alone. The youngsters are always escorted by a knowing adult or two to keep them alive. All that said they do not venture far from a handy burrow entrance. Their enemies are on the ground and in the air and so they keep a close watch on both.