Express By Holiday Inn Nelspruit

... had been seen and it's last movement was towards where
we had just come. From experience I decided to take a chance and turn
around, making our way back and combing the bush for any sign of the
creature. About 200 yards back was one of those dirt loops that extend
a little towards the river so I ducked down it and slowly edged along.
Nothing!!! As I was coming out the other side I started to do a U-turn
so as to do the loop once more before giving up. As I ...

... worked like clockwork - all for about 5 pounds each... and a sore bottom.

The last 3 days we spent at Krueger National Park, which we explored by hired car... I say car, it was more like a matchbox version of a car but nevertheless took us along all those gravel roads, past elephants, giraffes, gadzillions of impala and other deer, zebras, gnus, hippos, rhinos, hyenas, buffaloes, monkeys and baboons, and even two lions!!!!! Admittedly they were ...

... and then showed Paul the section where you can see the photos showing poaching and the effects it has on wildlife, as well as some of the traps that are used. All very informative and interesting.

We drove onto Crocodile Bridge Restcamp and filled up with diesel and then on towards Berg en Daal Restcamp. Stopping on the way by a very large dam we had lunch and watched zebra, warthogs, and waterbuck coming down for water ...

... Slept just outside the Kruger NP in a pretty ritzy safari lodge. Our group was staying very nice tents, while there were other overseas tourists staying in villas on the property. Dinner consisted of a variety of BBQ meats including steaks, sasuages and a rice like mixture called Pop. A staple food for the area, not sure what its made out of, I'm thinking some kind of corn. Rather tasty with sauce. Headed to bed early as there was a 5am departure for the park.

... maken we een stop in Graskop om pannekoeken te gaan eten bij Harrie's Pancakes. Je kan hier zelfs glutenvrije pannekoeken eten! Ondertussen leren we ook nog biltong (gedroogd vlees) eten. Tip voor degenen die ooit in Zuid Afrika komen: tegenover Harrie's Pancakes ligt een Biltongfarm waar alles vers gemaakt wordt! Daarna gaat de reis weer terug naar de Funky Monkeys... 's Avonds leren we 2 Zuidafrikanen kennen ...

... give us backpacker's guides. Why not? We are in time to pick up our car but ... our car is not ready. Well, we do some shopping in the airport. I buy a last (I promise) present for my little niece, Elise, whose birthday it is today. We deliver up our Hertz car and deliver out Avis car. Only 450 km to Nelspruit but we already know NOT to be optimistic about the time it will take. When we are driving for about an hour the Tomcat asks: 'where is my phone?' The answer ...

... the reference number for the bus ticket to Maputo and we decided we would try our luck - hope that the reference number would work fine and we would get the visa sorted in one way or another. So we called a couple of places in Maputo and booked ourselves a room. Next morning we tried to see if the embassy was open. It was not, so we just had to hang around the bus station, making ourselves a delicious packed lunch courtesy of the local ...

... how to to count past ten. I think he almost has the whole pattern up to 100 now. It only took a couple says, and it's clear to me that he is a capable man of understanding what he is taught. I was asking why it was that he couldn't count or understand sign language like the other def person at the center. I have been told that it wasn't until recently that he has been able to leave his home, I guess his family kept him always inside. He is fun to work with because he learns ...

... the inadequate directions to the Sheraton Pretoria on the Starwood website, and the inadvisability of getting lost in South Africa, we had the desk clerk in Cape Town phone the Pretoria location for precise directions the prior night. Unfortunately, the new directions were just plain wrong, and led us far from the hotel. We realized the problem before too long, and received better directions from a filling station. We managed to find our way before too long, by which time we ...

... have gone to Sabi Sands where the land is better managed and the animals maintained.) We stayed in one of the larger camps at Krueger and found it all to be great. We ate in the restaraunt (although self-catering was an option in our rondeval) and drove to our hearts content. We were surrounded by a heard of elephants which was fascinating, saw endangered birds, spotted black and white rhino.... giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, warthog.... the list goes on and on as did the wonder of it all.