POSTCARD FROM SOUTH AFRICA 25 February-4 April 2018

I left Heathrow with my friend Anne Hensman on time just after 9pm on Sunday evening, 25^th February, and arrived at Johannesburg just before 10am on Monday morning  It was a BA Dreamliner which was very comfortable and very smooth.  After a long queue at passport control we eventually checked into the airport InterCon Hotel and spent a quiet afternoon and evening there.  At 10am on Tuesday we took off from Jo’burg for Skukuza airstrip, where we were met by our guide, Joe, who drove us to the lodge.  En route we saw kudu, impala and zebra and, believe it or not, a leopard.  After a quiet few hours we then set off on an evening safari and were lucky enough to see a beautiful leopard and lots of impala, kudu, giraffe amongst many others.  We stopped for a sundowner in the bush before returning to the lodge. 

 

On Wednesday morning we set off at 6am and the first thing we saw were four white rhino, we then searched for and found our leopard of the previous evening and followed her until she picked up her two month old cub.  We watched them together for about an hour – simply wonderful!  We also saw a hippo on dry land which is unusual during the day and at a late breakfast we saw buffalo in the river by the lodge.  In the evening our good luck continued, finding a leopard with a huge impala which she had just killed. Nearby we say a small herd of elephants and towards the end of the evening we found three beautiful lions – so we did in fact see the Big Five in one day!

On Thursday we had a quieter day with a few deer, giraffe and elephant, and we did find our leopard of yesterday morning for a short time, but otherwise there were very few excitements, except of course to stop for our morning coffee/hot chocolate with Amarula [African drink a bit like Baileys]. In the evening there was a barbeque at the Boma, which was nothing to write home about!  On Friday we went into Kruger Park for the day with a picnic lunch - sadly it was not the most exciting of days, although we did see a big buffalo herd and a big elephant herd.  On our last morning, whilst searching for some lions we were almost attacked by a big bull elephant, but Joe clapped his hands at him and thankfully he shrunk back.  Eventually we found the lions, three of them lazing around together.  We then moved on and found a wonderful leopard who walked right past our car.  In the afternoon we flew back to Jo’burg for the night and bought ourselves some fish and chips in the airport for dinner!

On Sunday morning we set off from the Jo’burg Airport InterCon for the Fireblade Aviation Lounge and connected to our flight to Tswalu.  After an indoctrination where you learn that safaris are different in Tswalu in that you decide which animal to search for before setting out.  That evening I went off with my personal guide, Kosie, on my first Tswalu safari and we managed to find some meerkat, which we tracked on foot and got some great photos.  After that we had a dinner in the bush which was great until the bugs started to take over! 

 

On Monday morning Kosie and I tracked black rhino and eventually found two of them which was wonderful, and then I spent the day by the pool, watching animals visit the animal water hole.  In the evening we tracked Wild Dogs, which was not my favourite tracking, but at least had a sundowner watching them! The next morning, we set off to find a pride of lions and en route saw some White Rhino, and then luckily found a beautiful pride of nine lions which we stayed with for a while.  After a day by the pool, Kosie and I set off to track cheetahs and found two male cheetahs, and once found we went with them in our car through the bush, getting some great photos and finishing of course with a sundowner with the cheetahs!  That evening Anne and I and our two guides had dinner in the Lodge ‘boma’.

 

On Wednesday morning we decided to search for another pride of lions and Kosie, and our tracker William, were clever enough to find them.  They hadn’t been seen for a while, so we were very lucky to find them.  We then followed them through the bush on a rather damp and dull morning. Our morning stop for a hot chocolate with Amarula was particularly welcome!    Sadly, it was a rather cool and rainy day so no lying by the pool.  In the evening we tracked a cheetah and her cub and having found them, we sat and watched while sipping my sundowner!  The next morning, we made a slightly later morning start to find the meerkat again.  They eventually woke up a bit late but I got some good photos of them.  

Thankfully our last day in the Kalahari was sunny so I spent the day by the pool.  In the evening we searched for black rhino again but sadly this time failed to find them, and so went on to a BaBeQ in the Dunes.  After dinner we went on a night drive to find pangolin, and found one – a quite extraordinary creature.

On Friday morning, my guide took me to the airstrip at 9am and we took off for Johannesburg soon after 10am.  We spent the day quietly at the InterContinental in Johannesburg and had dinner at an airport restaurant.  The next morning we flew down to Cape Town and were driven to Hermanus where we checked into The Marine Hotel.  After changing rooms [they failed to give me a proper sea view although I had paid for one!], I settled into my room.  In the evening Anne and I had drinks in my room and then had dinner at a Tapas restaurant in town.  On Sunday we spent the morning by the pool and in the afternoon went on a six mile walk along the cliffs of Hermanus.  In the evening we found a delightful little restaurant called 1904, which served some delicious fish for both of us.  On Monday it was another day by the pool and another long walk along the cliffs of about five miles. Anne went home the next day so I spent the next few days in Hermanus relaxing by the pool, although did have one rather cloudy day, so spent it quietly in my room. 

On Friday 16^th March I organised a car to drive me to the fishing village of Arniston.  It took about an hour and a half, and I then settled into a very nice room overlooking the ocean.  Rather a breezy day so took myself for a walk around the little village and their quaint houses. The next day was very windy indeed but managed some time by the pool [not heated!] and did another walk.  Thankfully the following day the wind had abated so spent the day by the pool in glorious sunshine and I watched the fisherman go out in the evening.  My last day in Arniston was glorious too so I spent it by the pool.

On Tuesday my guide/driver/friend, Tony, arrived at 9.30am and we set off for Cape Town.  We stopped for a wine tasting at Idiom and then at Waterkloof where we had a cheese and meat platter with the wine. I have to say the view from both were wonderful but was not impressed with either place or the way they did their wine-tasting.  Eventually, I arrived at the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town just before 3pm and settled into a lovely room on the top floor with a wonderful view of the Mountain. The next couple of days were spent by the pool and meeting up with friends for lunches.

On Friday 23^rd March my friend Tony took me up into the winelands for the day.  We visited an amazing new ‘floating chapel’ at Bosjes, a popular place for weddings!  Then we went on to try two lovely wine-tastings at Bovlei and Doolhof where they did wine tasting properly!  A wonderful day in glorious sunshine.  The next few days I met up with friends for lunches and managed a few hours by the pool in the morning before each lunch. 

After two whole days by the pool, I went off on a day trip with Tony once again, sadly on a rather cloudy and cool day.  Had a bad storm the previous evening [great view from my room!] and the cloudy weather stayed around. We went down to the Cape Point area, visiting the penguins at Simon’s Town, doing some wine-tasting and having a delicious calamari lunch at Hout Bay.  Good Friday was a cool and cloudy day so spent the day catching up and doing a bit of shopping on the Waterfront.

On Easter Saturday the sun returned and not a cloud in the sky, so I spent the morning by the pool, I then joined some old friends for a wonderful lunch party at Bloubergstrand, which went on until 6pm. So the evening was spent relaxing in my room.  Easter Sunday and Monday were spent quietly by the pool in glorious weather.  I even managed a few hours by the pool on Tuesday morning before flying home overnight.

AMB 4.4.18