Aventura Swadini Hoedspruit

I've just received mu luggage today, after South African Airways lost it on the way from Livingstone. Fortunately, I was able to buy some underwear and borrow some things from others in my tour group. This is a much more diverse group than the last one, with 14 travelers from England, the U.S., Canada, Australia, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the ...

... groups of five and it's fairly accurate I have to say. High Profile means you record the elephant, lion, cheetah, hyena, leopard or buffalo sightings. This can be busy if you are in a herd or with a bull in musth since there are forms to fill out for both of these items. We like to ID who we are seeing and what they are doing, what their mood is, etc. when I've been in this position, I haven't been very busy which means we aren't seeing a lot of the species I would ...

... hot and humid. unfortunately, we had to cancel the big volleyball tournament we had looked forward to all week or we might have all suffered from heat stroke. during that afternoon, i would have killed for an ice cream or an ice cold coke. so it's with that that i leave you. i'm off to the store to buy coke. i might not be able to get to the blog until after the 26th. it depends on when they need to take me to the airport for my flight to Cape Town. have a great week everyone!

... that electric fence shock that i was heavily relying on. our guide should have known better and i guess maybe i should have as well? i was blinded by the beauty of his mane? why else do i spend hours on end watching animal programs on Animal Planet, Discovery and Nat Geo. did i learn nothing from them? at any rate, welcome back to Africa Tera...don't forget the animals are wild! i'm on the ...

... of them. We were given regular tree tests!! Often we would sit around a watering hole learning to recognise common birds, their calls, habitats, nesting habits and diet. We were also taught to recognise a few arthopods, amphibians, fish and reptiles. Lastly we were taught a few orientation skills so that by the end of the course we were able to lead the bush walks ourselves and hopefully not get totally lost!! The point ...

We've had a fairly relaxed time here recently. Done most of the lectures now and yes we've learnt quite a bit. We've gone out on plenty of bushwalks and done more conservation work - brushpacking to stop erosion, digging sand to put on the roads etc. Went to the local Reptile Park and I've included photos of our visit. Neil & I were pleased that we remembered most of the identity and first aid information. Plus got a chance ...

... night at camp and I went to sleep with the sound of lions in the background.... 13 October 2007 - Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. It was great to hear from you. 18/10/07 - 31/10/07 Trip this week is a night game drive. How cool. Elephants, Rhino's, snakes, Bush Babies (how cute are they?). And LIONS - oh my! To see lions pacing up and down roaring and marking their territories cannot be described sufficiently well. But the ...

... too long. That's if I survive my survival day!! One oterh scary event this week... we think a leopard was in our camp the other day. Prints have been found and other suspicious signs. People here are most afraid of leopards cause of their stealth and sudden attacks, but I dont think he'll come back. Was friggin scary going to the toilet though, I'm still checking al the trees! I hope you are all well. Wish you were all here. If you were I may not ...

... s and Erich's Pub "the deep-sea angling and fishing club". It was here that Erich gave me a shot of the local firewater. Stroh Rum. I knocked back a shot and waited for the burn of the 80% Volume rum to kick in. With in 3 minutes I went from sober to a bit stupid and spent the rest of the evening attempting to mount a replica of the worlds largest marlin hanging on the wall ...

... We rest at the rock pools, dipping our feet in cool water. Our next stop is Blyde River Canyon, part of a large reserve. The canyon is 30km long, and we sit on the edge staring at the rock formations, three red rondavela rocks covered in rich green vegetation, the river snaking through the huge canyon below and we can't help but marvel at this spectacular view, nature's creation leaves us speechless just soaking in the sight. When we can finally peel ourselves away from ...