Wednesday, July 8, 2015:
Cape Town
to Skukuza
My birthday was brought in by our
friends at the breakfast table of the hotel when they burst into song—literally.
Over muesli and yogurt and then a cooked breakfast of Spanish Omelette with
sparkling white wine to toast my birthday, we sighed over the fact that Table
Mountain was completely hidden by the infamous ‘Tablecloth’—thick cloud cover.
By 8. 30 am, we were all assembled
in the lobby ready to get off in our respective vehicles to be dropped off at
the airport for our 10. 35 am South African Airlines flight to Skukuza which is
the base for Kruger National Park. Our flight was on schedule and within 2
hours, we were flying right above the wilderness that stretched off for miles
below us.
We had a driver with a ‘cruiser’
waiting for us at Skukuza Airport—the cutest little airport in the world. We
did not realize the ride to our camp would take two and half hours. And we did
not realize that we would see so many animals on our way to the camp. But
within three minutes of leaving the airport, we ran into a herd of impala—a
type of antelope that we later referred to as the “squirrels’ of the park as
there were simply thousands of them. By the time we got to our camp, we saw
zebras, giraffes, niyala, duiker (a type of skittish deer), water buck, Bush
buck, wildebeest and kudu. We could not have asked for a better introduction to
the camp.
Arrival at Hamiltons Tented Camp
At Hamiltons Tented Camp, which
appeared like an apparition in the midst of the wilderness, we were introduced
to the gracious staff, including the manager Ben, who was, unfortunately,
leaving later that day on vacation. Harold took his place and in his care, we
were shown around the lobby and its restrooms, and made to sign disclaimers as
we enjoyed a very tasty home-made iced tea studded with fresh fruit in tall
crystal glasses and an ice-cold towel. A few minutes later, our keys were
distributed to us and we were also introduced to a pair of sisters, Samantha
and Rebecca Jones, who would occupy the 6th tent—the rest of the
five were occupied by our party. Llew and I and Cheri-Anne and Raghu were
placed in Tents 1 and 2 respectively—which we were delighted to discover
overlooked the water hole on the property—while the rest of the members of our
party were in Tents 3, 4 and 5.
However,
we merely had the time to drop our suitcases off into our room and use the
restroom when we had to climb back into the cruiser for our first safari which
began at 3. 30 pm and would go on till 6. 30—by which time we would return to
base camp for dinner. None of us could resist taking our pick from the
offerings on the Tea table—mini pizzas, mushroom vol au vents, corn muffins and a fabulous gingered nut tart cut
into small squares—all served with tea or coffee. It became clear that we would
eat like royalty at this establishment—and we looked forward to every meal.
Our First Safari Drive:
I suppose when you go out on seven safaris
drives in three days , they start to merge into each other—so I guess the best
way to give an account of them would be to describe a highlight. Because sooner
or later you realize that there are some animals you will see repeatedly and in
herds—baboons, kudu, water buck, zebras, and tons and tons of impala. So for us
the highlight of our very first safari was being taken to a spot by our tracker
Dee where a rhino that had died of natural causes (probably after getting into
a fight with another more powerful animal) was being fed on by a pack of hyenas
and a flock of vultures.
Long before we got to the rhino, we
could smell its decaying carcass. Dozens of vultures were in the trees that
surrounded the dead animal patiently awaiting their turn in the pecking
order—indeed we understood where that term ‘pecking order’ originates. The
rhino lay on its side—its horn had been carved out by the park’s anti-poaching
squad (to prevent illegal poachers from stealing up on it and carving it off
for the international aphrodisiac market). The brown-spotted hyenas—at least
six of them—were all around the carcass feasting upon it with abandon. One of
them had started to gnaw on the rhino’s rib cage bones in order to create a
cave that would enable it to get into the animal’s entrails. Another managed to
get a hold of a portion of the insides and was swinging it from side to side
before devouring it. We were horrified and fascinated at the same time. The
hyenas watched us cautiously as we approached but when they realized we
intended no harm, they relaxed and went back to feeding. Needless to say, we
took dozens of pictures and simply could not tear ourselves away from the
sight.
A little later, our guide Dee
stopped for “sundowners’ under a sheltering tree as the sun sank in a fiery
orange ball over the horizon silhouetting thorny leafless trees in the process.
As it is winter in Africa, foliage is sparse and the trees are starkly
bare—which makes it much easier to stalk animals for sightings. Within seconds,
Dee skillfully assembled a folding table, a table cloth, two hampers and a
tiffin carrier from which he produced red and white wine, beer, Cokes with ice
(no less) and an array of nibbles—dried beef jerky, dried fruit, a variety of
nuts, savory pizza slices. It was almost unreal—a scene straight Out Of Africa. We had to pinch ourselves
to believe that we were on safari in Africa—something for which we have waited
for so long.
About fifteen minutes into our
sundowners, our friend Jenny-Lou went dizzy and had a minor ‘passing out’
incident which caused us to get into our vehicle and head straight for camp.
Fortunately, she recovered quickly enough and was as good as new just a couple
of hours later.
Before
we assembled for dinner that evening, we discovered an elephant very close to
our tents. Our wait staff shone a massive spot light on it and we could clearly
see it lurking on our very property. That was No. 1 of the Big Five that we
hoped to see before we left Kruger.
All that was left was for us to get
ready for dinner that would be served on the vast wooden deck of our camp.
Orders for our choices had been taken earlier—for starters, a choice of
Carpaccio of Springbok (a form of venison) or Butternut Squash Soup. Entrees
were a choice between Salmon with Pilaf and Roasted Veg or Lamb Chops with
Mashed Potato and Roasted Veg. Dessert was either Malwa Pudding (a sort of
bread pudding with a marshmallow sauce) or Cinnamon Poached Pears. I personally
chose the soup, lamb and pears—and truly they were all fabulous. We could not
fathom how such a superlative meal had been conjured up in what seemed like the
middle of nowhere. Those chefs produce mini-miracles in their kitchens!
And just when we thought our meal
had come to a delightful end, a waiter put champagne flutes in front of each of
our places and then, to our enormous surprise, a troop of wait staff, all
attired in spotless white with maroon sashes and African sola topees marched
out in a crocodile singing an African version of “Happy Birthday To You”. The
first chap had a chocolate cake in his hand that was lit with a single candle.
There was clapping and singing and dancing as they encircled our table and then
placed the cake in front of me. Meanwhile, another waiter popped the bottle of
champagne and began to fill our glasses with the bubbly. It was so charming
because it was so unexpected! What an incredible moment—to be in the middle of
the African Bush on a safari and to be celebrating a birthday with some of our
closest friends. That was simply the highlight of my day for I felt thoroughly
pampered and spoiled. Of course, we took many pictures and some fine video as
the cake was cut, sliced, served and eaten.
The next morning, we were told, we
would get Wake Up calls at 5. 30 am for the 6.00 am safari departure. There was
no point in lingering as we could not wait to get back to our room to unwind
and get ready for bed. As if the excitement of my birthday celebration was
inadequate, both Llew and I were woken up during the night by the loud roaring
of lions at the waterhole beneath our balcony! Just imagine, if you can, how
that made us feel! It was simply too exciting and chilling for words.
What a day! What a birthday! This
was certainly one to remember!
Until tomorrow, Cheerio!
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