Fifth Report - First Week At Augrabies Falls

A week has gone by since my last report was filed, yet it feels like I have not written anything in months. Much has changed, once again, and much has happened during my first week here at Augrabies Falls National Park. It would be difficult to read and to write about all the events of the past week in one single chapter. So let's get some structure into this puppy, and begin at the beginning (or end, depends on how you look at it)!

Kruger Farewell & Bustrip

It is difficult to understand why a suitcase will hold a certain amount of items just fine, but when you attempt to re-pack it it suddenly becomes impossible to put those exact same items inside. Clearly the manner in which you pack said items has some significance, but somebody has to explain to me why this is so. After unpacking and re-packing 4 times during my stay in the Kruger Park and every attempt being met with various degrees of failure and use of expletives, I gave up and bought an extra bag to hold some of my clothes and a pair of shoes.

So I was relieved to be packing my bag for the very last time, knowing that when I opened it next - if it did not explode first - I would finally be able to put away my clothes for one whole year. Happy day. On second thought however I was in fact not that happy. Our stay in the Kruger Park these past two weeks had been great; there is just no easier way to describe it. I think I can also speak for all my fellow volunteers when I say that this feeling of greatness was supported by the fact that we were not "just on holiday": we were being productive on a daily basis. We received lectures about environmental education, the history of SANParks, the Afrikaans language, fauna & flora, first-aid and the art of the "braai". Yes we were relaxing, but we were not lazy...there is a difference. We had a good rhythm going and I could have kept it up for a much longer time, as I'm sure the others could as well, but unfortunately we had to cease our travels through Kruger and go our seperate ways.

As those of you who have had the privilige of visiting Africa may have discovered, the last day at any national park is usually the most interesting. And by interesting I mean the most life-threatening. Although the rhino encounter during the bushwalk was probably more hazardous, when we drove towards the Phalaborwa Gate around 6.00am on Wednesday morning it was as if Kruger did not want to let us go. Two encounters made this relatively short drive memorable. First of all there was a huge herd of buffalo which had decided to pick the nice piece of open grassland next to the road for its breakfast. And when I say herd, I'm talking about several hundred individual cows. Now such a troop could cause quite a lot of damage to any object in its path, but the powers-that-be of Kruger thought they would merely distract us (at first) with this magnificent sighting. I think we probably remained there for about 45 minutes before we realized that we were on a tight schedule and had to make the Johannesburg Airport in time. So onwards we drove, tearing ourselves free of the buffalo.

Now Kruger was clearly not in the mood for subtleties anymore. Dropping all pretense, an elephant bull was dropped in the middle of the road and it was pissed. Literally. The ellie was in musht (to put it simply: horny as hell) which can be identified by the leaking glands on the side of its head, but also by the fact that it is walking around urinating everywhere. Plus even a tourist from Gauteng can tell you you don't mess around with something like that. Plus plus it was big, really big...and it had tusks, huge tusks. This is of course the time that Pete chooses to show us one more time what he is made of and casually drives our (very fragile looking) minivan towards the "roadblock". Clearly the ellie was not going to move and at one point he decided that we were getting too close and gave us a little charge. We backed up. Now things were getting critical, time-wise, and we could not wait around much longer. So once more we approached the ellie in an attempt to pass it, but no longer any of that sissy sneaking, no no! Pedal to the metal baby!!

The Kruger gods must have admired our bravery/stupidity because we were allowed to drive past mister Drippy and continue on to the civilized world. Around lunchtime we drove through a very picturesque little village - I forget the name unfortunately - where Pete suggested we have some food at a place called Harry's Pancakes. Absolutely amazing pancakes, I have to admit (coming from a country with a rich pancake tradition - the Netherlands) they were the best I have ever had. I'll have to ask Pete what this, very camp and un-African looking, village was called.

At last we had arrived at our destination: Johannesburg. A city so crime-ridden that the innocent people actually live behind bars - it's cheaper than building a prison for all the offenders. Unfortunately for those amongst you who regard Jo'burg as a no-go area while travelling through southern Africa, I have to pull you back to reality. It's not as bad as you think. Most areas in the city are not much different from any other cosmopolitan capital anywhere in the world and the risks just as great. Would you walk down a busy suburb in Rio or Paris or Rome with your brand-new and very shiny digital camera swinging from your neck? Pockets bulging with local currency? I don't think so (and if you do, you're an idiot).

At the airport we had to say our first goodbyes. Actually that's untrue, we said farewell to Saskia in the morning because she was driving up to Mapungubwe - but saying goodbye at the airport does add to the emotion of the moment. We dropped off Jenny (going to Table Mountain NP) and Kristel (going to Namaqua NP) at the domestic flights with about 30 minutes to spare - this means of course that we were ON TIME, something unheard of in this continent. Madelin (going to Tsitsikamma NP) was also leaving us here because she was going to spend a weekend with friends in Jo' burg before heading to her coastal paradise. So after all the tears (mostly mine), me, Pete, Ben and Catherine drove to the Backpackers Ritz in the Hyde Park area of the city - in this case the name of the suburb does do justice to its obvious wealth, beauty and serenity. A great place to stay for cheap, I highly recommend it - but try to avoid sharing a room with a snoring South African rugby player and/or a young and inexperienced German teenage couple who can't stop touching each other. While we were there we also met some very colourful characters who really warrant a completely seperate chapter; all-in-all a very good place to crash.

So after a very short and often interrupted night's sleep (rugby player/teenage couple) we got up, once again, at 5am because Pete was coming to pick us up at 6.00 and drive us to the central busstation. All went smoothly - except waking up of course - and we learned yet another important lesson on life in South Africa: traffic rules are not so much "rules" as they are "guidelines".

Now Johannesburg's central busstation is an adventure all on its own. Tourist guides warn strongly against going to it, or at least they recommend spending as little time there as possible, but once again I found it to be a very colourful, interesting place. Certainly any self-respecting traveller (notice I said traveller, not tourist) should pay this place a visit as it is a melting-pot of cultures, nationalities and people. Take the logical precautions and enjoy the chaos. Less interesting to me was the bustrip I was about to take, all the way to Upington - about 900km give or take a few. Now I am not very keen on buses, long-distance ones anyway, and I can safely say I was feeling a certain dread as the hour of our departure approached. Our dear colleague Ben (from the States) provided the world with yet another reason to be jealous of Americans because his busride would only last a measly 3 hours - he was going to Golden Gate Highlands NP. So at 7.30am me and Catherine said farewell to Ben and Pete and boarded a so-called "Sleep-Liner" from InterCape: basically the interior of the bus was like being in the business class of Singapore Airlines - sweet! Things were certainly looking brighter!

...Eleven hours, terrible movies, worse service and countless desperate looking villages later and suddenly I could not wait to leave this hell-on-wheels. I'm sure that the relief on my face was obvious when I spotted the guy from Augrabies who was sent to pick me up. This "real world" was not made for me - at least not at this moment - and I could not wait to settle down in another one of South Africa's National Parks.

Fourth Report: Johannesburg hostel

Dear readers,

Let me begin once again by thanking all of you who have been writing me back. I haven't been able to check my e-mails for a while now but it is great to find a very full Inbox - great ego boost, let's be honest.

Secondly, I have to be uncharacteristically brief this time (was that a sigh of relief?!) because I can only use this youthhostel computer for another 15 minutes. So the lay-out will be a bit different, more to the point, less pseudo-philosophical meanderings, just the highlights!

-> Went on a 3 hour bushwalk through a southern portion of the Kruger Park, a rare event as 99% of tourists are not even allowed to get out of their cars. Our ranger/guide was a true expert, knowing every bird, plant, tree and animal we came across and telling a story with each encounter. The day before we saw 4 of the Big 5 on a game drive - all except a rhino (yes even the leopard!!) - so we had told our guide to bring us to a rhino, but hardly expecting him to magically conjure such a beast. But! He did. A huge white rhino bull too. We got up to 20 meters of the 2 ton animal before we sought refuge behind a large tree...rhinos have very poor eyesight so once he could not see us anymore he slowly walked away.

-> Had a reptile handling course with Donald Strydom from the Khamai Reptile Park in Hoedspruit (also known as "Dishy Don"). Looked down the throat of a puff adder. Very interesting (and necessary) information about snake-bite first aid. Donald showed off by taking close-up picture of a spitting cobra. Also handled scorpions and spiders. They're very cute and fuzzy. Honest.

-> Visited a primary school in one of the poor black communities neighbouring the Kruger Park. I will write more about this when I have more time because it was such a life-changing day. Definitely hope I will get a chance to work/teach kids that visit my park. They're awsome (yes, awsome!).

-> At our last restcamp, me and my roommate Ben found two squirrels in our little house. Got bit by one when trying to capture it. Embarassing. Also found scorpion underneath Ben's bag. Captured that as well. Less embarassing. Didn't get bit that time.

-> Am currently in Jo'burg at a backpackers. Leaving tomorrow morning for Augrabies by bus. Will take about 9 hours. It's going to suck.

Take care all, and will report back soon!!!!

Third Report - Campfire & Daktari

Dear family and friends,

A few days have passed since my last report, but it feels like a much longer period because so much has happened. Looking back on the time I have spent here so far, it feels on the one hand that it has gone by very quickly. On the other however I feels as if I have been here much longer than just eight days...I guess I have quickly adjusted to life here in South Africa.

Due to extreme circumstances – the arrival of a 28-strong church group at Campfire – we decided it wise to spend the weekend at a different location. One of the students here, Marjolein, a Dutch girl who has worked for 8 months at Campfire and now runs her own volunteer agency, suggested we visit a wildlife “orphanage” called Daktari, managed by old friends of her from Hoedspruit. Everyone agreed that this would be a good plan, especially as it gave us a chance to see another part of the area and observe how a wildlife rehabilitation centre is run. This worked out for Laetitia as well because she had to go pick up her sons from boarding school (2 hours away) on Friday anyway and would now be able to spend the entire weekend with them.

So me, Tim (from England) and Marjolein set out for Daktari, about 1,5 hours away. This orphanage is relatively new – they’ve been living there for two years now but only just got their license, after waiting that same amount of time for it – but they already have a few creatures great and small. During the trip down there I asked Marjolein who owned the place and was surprised to find out I actually knew them. True, around this area everyone knows everyone else, but as an outsider it is sometimes difficult to get to know any of the locals so I was a bit relieved to see some familiar faces. The couple who own Daktari are Michelle and Ian; she used to run a well-known bar/restaurant called the Trading Post which I visited several times in 2005; he was head ranger for 8 years at one of the better known private game reserves in the area, Tshukudu Game Reserve, which I had visited twice before. They are both very easy-going but they have a strong work ethic and are now finally trying to realize their true dream: a wildlife orphanage which caters especially for disabled people. Unique.

There are only two reasons a person will live the rest of his or her life in this part of Africa: a passion for the bush or a passion for someone. Michelle and Ian have both and it is what keeps them going. They live in the middle of the middle of nowhere in their own game reserve which they bought when Michelle sold the Trading Post; they have not received a salary since they began two years ago, making just enough money to pay their employees, buy food and provide for the animals; Ian broke several discs in his spine (which is why he left as head ranger) and cannot lift or pick up things; they have more or less adopted an orphaned boy from a local village for whom they have bought a small house close to a school so he can get an education, he comes home for the weekend – and finally they have to manage their new business every day, trying to get funding from the government or private organizations, doing marketing and trying to attract guests and volunteers. But their passion for the bush and each other keeps them going, they make it look easy even though it is anything but.

Despite all the problems they face and have faced their house and surrounding gardens are absolutely stunning. After making introductions we quickly settled into our respective accommodations (brick rondawels/huts, thatched roof, with bathroom), which were also stunning and definitely satisfied our vision of what an African lodge should look like. Due to the fact that there was no electricity (yet), light was provided by a legion of old fashioned oil lamps which were lit all around the camp in the evenings, adding even more to the “Out of Africa” feeling. On Friday we went out for a short bushwalk before dinner. The property belonging to Daktari is fenced in and there are no “Big 5”, so I was a lot more at ease than when I go for walks at Campfire (which is connected to the Kruger Park). They do have a respectable population of giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and many smaller mammals. One or more leopards also live in the thick, swamp-like terrain, but even an experienced ranger like Ian has not seen one of these shy cats yet, the many tracks that can be found on the roads and the occasional zebra carcass as the only proof these shy cats are present.

After dinner the discussion ended with a proposition from Ian that, if we wanted, we could do some work during the weekend. Perhaps it was because we were instantly charmed by the location and the work Ian and Michelle are trying to do, but something made us drop our laid back, African-time-way-of-doing-things (read: lazy, spoiled European butts). The work Ian proposed to us was the building of a large birdcage/aviary for a group of spotted owls that they would receive in the coming week. On Saturday morning we first did a little mathematics, planning out the size and height of the cage considering the materials we had available. I blacked-out a little while they were doing the calculations, very strange, but I do recall thinking it was a bit on the small side. If we were going to build something, I wanted it to be a little bit more impressive. Let me also mention that this was the first time I was going to work in construction.

Several packs of bandages, a few bottles of disinfectant, a sun-burned back too painful to even look at, an endless supply of lukewarm water and about 5 kg in bodyweight later…
Our “small” aviary was finally finished on Sunday evening, much to our relief. Luckily Tim has worked many years in construction and he was essential at directing me and Marjolein in the right direction. We nervously awaited Ian’s verdict. The man is very kind but also very critical of anything related to his business – 18 years in the Zimbabwean (and South African) Special Forces will do that. But we had nothing to fear. Compared to the other cages ours looked like something out of a posh zoo, or so Ian thought, and he said it would probably stand for at least ten years. A job well done.

We wrote our names in the concrete floor (Bird – Marjolein’s nickname; TP – Tim’s initials and toilet paper; Dikdik – my own nick from 2005), took a few pictures and that was that.
Right now I am back at Campfire after two days spent living at Laetitia's appartment in Hoedspruit, where yesterday evening we had a farewell party dedicated to me and another friend of Laetitia's who is leaving. I don't have time to go into all that I'm afraid, but as you can see I am still alive and well. This afternoon we are driving to the Kruger Gate (about 1,5 hours away) where I will meet with the people from South African National Parks to start my 2-week training period.

There is much more to say, but we are heading to the Olifant's River one last time before I leave so unfortunately it will have to wait for another time.

I hope you are all well and still enjoying my writing (if you're not just don't tell me).

Pictures: 1) All of us having sundowners after a hard day's work. 2) The three of us at the finished Campfire Owl Cage (patent pending).

Second Report: Campfire II

Baie dankie vir al die e-pos!!(thanks for all the replies - in Afrikaans)

(this is long so I hope you're sitting down with a drink)

Dear diary,

Although I am familiar with - and people have warned me about - the concept of African time, we are still suprisingly active down here. I am confident this will not last however as my time down here progresses and eventually it is my hope that sending one e-mail a month will feel like plenty to me.

For the time being however you will have to cope with more regular reports. :)

Tuesday morning has been eagerly awaited since I arrived on Sunday, because Laetitia (the daughter of the game farm owner who does most of the guiding and teaching) would return after having spent several days in Nelspruit, a town several hours south. She is quite the legend among all the students who have visited Campfire Safaris over the years, mainly because of her kindness - which she certainly inherited from her parents - and laid-back attitude. She has now become a fully qualified fieldguide, which she started studying for after I left in 2005, and her knowledge of the bush, ecology and conservation is much more extensive than 2 years ago. Anyway...our little reunion on Tuesday morning was great, she hasn't changed and she told me I had not either. Which makes it feel even more as if I had never left. ;) (obviously we've both changed, but just go with it ok?)

After quickly catching up she gave us a lecture on Integration Policies - meaning how displaced villages and/or tribes have been getting their ancestral lands back in South Africa, often this includes land in use for conservation purposes (such as the Kruger NP). Pretty hot topic at the moment and something I luckily know a little bit about from researching it last year. I won't get into the whole debate now, but what stands out is how little (read: nothing) government regulations there are after the land has been given back to a displaced village. Picture this: you're in one of the national parks, you're doing the tour either in a jeep or on foot, and suddenly a flipping herd of cattle walks past led by a teenage boy...not a strange sight in rural Africa, but in a national park? As there are no fences between the new tribal land and the rest of the park (no regulations), the big predators are having a field day with all this easy meat (teenage boy included) making them into potential man-eaters; not to mention the havoc the ever increasing number of elephants will do to a village that stands between them and a fresh patch of trees...
I've gone into the discussion haven't I? Oh well, you rarely read about this in the West (terrorism is far cooler) so read it and weep. However there are a number of success stories as wel; situations where displaced villages have not settled back for example but chose to rent out the land to the government or farmers who owned it in the first place (so nothing changes, but the village gets a bit of income); or where people from a displaced tribe are now taking tourists out in "their" patch of national park and building tourist accomodation on it, again not upsetting the natural order.

So you see it is not all fun and games out here in the wilderness, but serious issues are being discussed. Laetitia is very eager to learn from me about what SANParks is going to do about this major problem - SANParks is the governmental body responsible for the national parks and who I will be working for starting February.

But obviously we have been out getting down and dirty in the bush as well!! On wednesday we went further into Balule NP (where I am right now and it is connected to the Kruger NP) with the jeep to look at an elephant carcass. This old bull was probably killed in a fight with another male and has been nicely rotting away for a few weeks now. Obviously certain shady individuals (hyenas, jackals, vultures) have come and taken the meat and other juicy bits, but most of the bones were still there and despite the intensely nauseating smell it was very impressive. Afterwards we drove on to the Olifants River (a major source of water, especially now that most smaller rivers and waterholes have dried up because of draught) to look at tracks and hopefully to spot a hippo or crocodile. It was a beautiful patch of river, lush and green and very quiet despite the rushing waters, but there were no animals in sight. Many tracks however of lions, antilopes, hippos, elephants and crocs. We did spot a lonely elephant in the distance but it never

came closer, but more importantly we saw a African fish eagle in action! One of the largest eagles in the world - closely resembling the famous American bald eagle - it is called the Voice of Africa because of its high-pitched call, often in duet with its mate. Stunning.

Today was also very interesting, the morning-walk consisted mostly of plant and tree identification. As there is no water in the big waterhole close to the house there are no elephants, lions and large herds of antilopes around at the moment, but that means you keep an eye out for the smaller animals...and we were very fortunate in that respect. First and foremost we spotted an adult chameleon climbing a tree - incredibly well camouflaged (obviously) it is nearly impossible to see - and I got some amazing close-up pirctures of the little fellow. Secondly we ran across several baby leopard tortoises, looking very frightened being by themselves in the big bush, none of them were bigger than my hand. I just hope they get to adult size (about the size of my head) soon!

Chilling out during mid-day and afternoon (about 30-35 degrees and very very humid), we headed out to one of the smaller drinking places - not more than a big pond - to clean it and put some fresh water into it. Being used quite regularly combined with the fact that no fresh water had been added in a while made for some dirty fu***** water. Oh, and there are about 40 catfish living in it (they're those fish with whiskers). Sooo...we had to throw the old water out first, using big buckets, and THEN catch the slippery catfish (about 30 to 60 cm long) and put them in the buckets while fresh water can be put into the pond. Let me just say: smelly brown water combined with very nervous catfish does not make you look any prettier. I literally stepped into the shower afterwards with my clothes and shoes on. Enough said.

Tomorrow we're going back to the Olifants River early in the morning, hopefully we'll see some more activity this time.

Hope you enjoyed my second report! I never know when I will get a chance to use the internet - right now using an ancient dial-up internet connection - so expect my third report either tomorrow or next week!

First Report - Campfire Safaris

"What do they keep in here, King Kong?" (Ian Malcolm; Jurassic Park - Geek alert :P)

Hi all, and warm greetings from sunny South Africa!

As you can probably tell from my cheerful disposition, my trip down here went relatively smoothly - as far as an 11 hour flight can be smooth - and I am now 'back home' at Campfire Safaris near the Kruger Park. This is the same game farm where I spent an unforgettable 4 weeks in 2005, and I will remain here until I start a 2-week training course on the 1st February (inside the Kruger) before heading out to my assigned nature reserve in the northwest.
It's pretty quiet at Campfire, only 3 other students here at the moment, which has its pros and cons. The lively atmosphere I experienced the last time is obviously gone (as we were here with about 10 students then), but on the other hand it's much more likely we'll see some animals on our daily bushwalks. To prove the latter, yesterday, on my first bushwalk, we encountered a group of zebra (very skittish animals, but they hung around for a while) which were later joined by a herd of impala. Walking along the dry riverbed several waterbucks (large brown antilopes) crossed our path, led by a magnificent 'trophy' buck which towered over his group of females (and us) with its huge curved horns. To top it all off, just as we were nearing the gate we spotted a (to me at least) very familiar looking giraffe...his spots are nearly connecting and a very dark brown. I remembered this lone male from last time and I was very pleased to actually see a familiar face!! Apparently he had not been seen for several months and people were afraid he might have been killed by the lions, but he had clearly noticed that I was back and came to say hello. We approached him up until about 20 meters, an amazing animal, and I always get that feeling as if I am looking at something other-worldly or prehistoric when I run into a giraffe.
Today we went for an early walk at 7.30. Saw some impala and the waterbucks again, but the bush was pretty quiet otherwise. At one point we were following reasonably fresh lion tracks (See Picture) but lost them after a while. We also spotted the track of a young/baby elephant, accompanied with the wanton destruction of trees by its elders, but the largest land mammal did not show itself (yet). Did get a good picture of a very exotic looking spider (Included) and to give you an idea of the countryside I added a third picture which I took during our walk this morning.

Weather-wise I couldn't ask for anything better. It's a low 30 degrees celsius during the day, with a cool breeze coming from the northeast, few clouds and very comfortable 15 degrees during the night. ("Thank you Brick, and now sports.")

For those of you who've been to Campfire with me, the place is still much the same. Tinus and Suegnette are not here at the moment unfortunately, but Laetitia is...and you know what that means ;) Shooter time!! The day before I arrived one of the dogs (Bosveld) came home with a huge Egyptian cobra (very dead) which means one less creepy-crawly...although this morning we spotted a 2-meter long Black Mamba crossing the road...

I guess I've kept you busy for long enough, I'm now heading over to the butcher's to get some biltong (beef jerky) and a bottle of mampoer.

Picture: Me waking up on top of the tower at Campfire.

Preface

18/02/2007 - Augrabies Falls NP, South Africa

I said I would not, but we are weak creatures, so now I have finally decided to start a BLOG about my year in South Africa. To be honest I do this more for my own benefit than anyone else's because it is a good way in which to keep one's thoughts and adventures safe. But aside from being weak us humans are also out to please our own ego's and this blog will serve that purpose as well for me.

What can you expect?

Well if you have been so lucky to have read about my travels so far (because you were included in the mailing list) you can pretty much expect more of the same meanderings. Only difference is that I will not fill up your inbox every week anymore. I'm a nice guy.

I will begin shortly by putting my first e-mails on, as well as go into detail about my first days working as a volunteer at Augrabies Falls National Park in South Africa.

Hope you enjoy reading my not-so-private diary as much as I enjoy writing it.

Cheers,

Rudolf/Lord of the Flame/DikDik