When Melody and Bob booked the safari, they were told we would go in a 9-passenger van but we would be the only passengers. When we walked to the pick-up point (most cars can't enter dock area), there was a Mercedes E-class waiting for us with driver. Well....we are all big people and we were stuffed in this Mercedes for 3 hours. However, along the way we did see a winery (there are hundreds in S.A.), and a township, which is a city of shacks occupied by very poor Africans and which are the scourge of S.A. After Aparatheid was abolished here, promises were made by the Mandela government that new housing would be built, but the poor are poorer than ever, and the rich, richer than ever. I digress.
We arrived in time for lunch only to meet people from the ship who had also asked us to go with them! (They were also on the cancelled trip and Dean Dan says we will be refunded the entire cost of that trip. Yea!) The lodge was delightful, small bungalows. Ours had a shared living room with 3 bedrooms off of it. The reserve is owned by French couple so everything was very French. No TV, phone but a beautiful pool and outdoor eating areas. All of our meals were outside. After afternoon tea at 4:39 pm, we all climbed into 2 huge Land Rovers, seating 8 and 12 respectfully, and set off on an early evening drive. It was very hot and dry.
We saw cape buffalo, rhinos, zebras, one lone male lion asleep under a tree, Egyptian geese, ibises, wildebeest, springbok, eland,etc. They do not claim to have the big 5, which means they don't have elephants. (The large safaris include the big 5: lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes and leopards.) We were gone from 5 to 7 pm when it started to get dark. Riding on the rough trails was like riding a rollercoaster. The park is much smaller, obviously, than the Serengeti but very well-maintained. Safari parks are springing up all over S.A. but Inverdoorn has been there 16 years. Upon our return to the lodge, we had a 5-course dinner which was delicous, with wine, and an outdoor fire pit but it was 10 pm by then and time to sleep as we would be up at 5:30 am.
Morning coffee at 6 am and back in the Land Rovers for an early morning drive. We were bundled up as it does get cold in the desert at night. We scooted past the rhinos and wildebeest, looking for the panther which they haven't spotted for a long time, found the giraffes which were fun, then saw an ostrich herd, and headed for the cheetah preserve. The lions are in their own preserve and the cheetahs are in another, otherwise all of the other animals are in the large preserve. Again, the cheetahs are so used to the vehicles that they just crossed in front of us, lay down and weren't the least bit curious. But Lisa then showed us how they exercise the cheetahs. They shred a cloth so that it looks like a chicken and then, just like the "rabbit" on a greyhound track, races the "chicken" along a track which the cheetah races after! And then they are fed. They reach speeds of 60 mph in a short space, but they are sprinters, not long-distance runners.
Must tell you about Lisa, our guide and driver. She was about 5', the prettiest little thing you've ever seen, bright blue eyes and the smile of a model and as agile as one of the animals. At one point, the other Land Rover broke down and she practially crawled into the engine to see what was wrong and actually fixed his truck! That's Lisa on top of the truck. The guides have to know everything about the vehicles and the park. Photo below is of Bob and Melody Cecil, me, Rick and Lisa.
We returned for breakfast about 9 a.m., which was delicious: crepes, eggs, sausage, wonderful fruit, etc., and as were leaving, 2 girls brought 2 large cheetahs on leashes through the pool area so we could take pictures! We piled into the car and I decided that this time we would take turns sitting in the front seat - Rick sat in the front on the way up. It was hilarous. We hadn't gone 30 miles when I smelled rubber burning (I know, girls, bionic nose!). But we thought it was nearby. Then Rick and I both felt that the tire was flat. When we stopped, the tire had burned off around the rim and was so hot, we had to let it cool. The driver, Peter, who was at least 60 and the 2 men changed the tire. We stopped every 1/2 hour to change seats like a Chinese fire drill! Well, actually I was there the longest because I fell asleep but Rick didn't get a turn!
No comments:
Post a Comment