Hazyview Hotel

... from intercontinental to very African,<br><br>The next morning we went on an early morning safari an saw hippos giraffes and elephants then returned to the hotel for breakfast, Afterward we went on a tour of the hotel and surrounding area. There was a walkway to the West of the hotel where you could view any of the ...

... Seriously, the rifle remained empty and in the case and off we went. Now, there were "roads" of a type. Actually potholes interspersed by a stretch of sand here and there broken up by rocks. Ok, so we stay on the road, right? Wrong and how wrong we were. When the guide saw something, and how they saw it was beyond us, off they went cross country. We saw some kudu, numerous smaller "predator snacks", wildebeests ...

Arrived at a beautiful, rustic lodge which turned out to be next to a watering hole for the local wildlife. I got the honeymoon suite I guess, four different levels with a bridge over the top of the room which ended up in the bedroom. Probably the most unique place I have ever stayed. The food was fabulous and the staff helpful.

... 2 nights in row only to return back to my tent broken, beaten, and yearn for some sleep. Who could this terrible enemy be... ah non other than a bat that chose to perch himself in the tree above our tent. You say, but Dan the bat will eat all the mosquitoes, and mosquitoes have malaria, how could you want this bat to leave you tent sight, the bat was a protector!?!?! And I agree with you, the bat did protect us from the mosquitoes.... But he also sat above the tent creating a ...

... that deserves more than an honorable mention on tomorrow's entry. First of all, we didn't get on the road to Nelspruit from Jo'berg until a quarter past 8pm. Yikes!! Its already dark out. Angela and I have both read many blogs and articles about traveling in the middle of the night in South Africa. To sum it up - beware of bandits and things that go bump in the night. Especially traveling thru the provincial ...

... If you don't know either of those movies that is a good thing. I also often get questions like, "Do you know Snopp Dogg?" I had a good time on Saturday night, and as the three of us drove into the location at night I had this clear moment of looking around me and realizing where I was and how crazy it was. Here I am sitting in the back seat listening to these two African women chatter away in Setswatsi, while they are playing re-mixed versions of American music ...

... passing by. There was also lots of road construction which delayed us somewhat. The smell of the asphalt was something terrible: not like any road tar I have ever smelt. More like ammonia or pitch mixed with a terrible heat smell. How the workers could stand it is beyond me. All I can say is that for them it was a job and better than the awful poverty I was seeing on the sides of the road. After a couple of hours we started climbing up some ...

... ATMs in the wilderness I was short on cash, so it was Henry's job to drive me into town to a bank from which I could collect the money I owed him. Well, Henry was clearly pretty keen to get his money because we must have broken the record for the fastest drive ever from Kruger to Nelspruit. I doubt we went under 100 km/h the whole way home and for much of the time we were way above that, which on some of the winding and poorly maintained roads we ...

... village placed in the Swiss Alps. It was a neat place to walk around, but a definate tourist trap. In the evening we had a great buffet dinner at a golf course. It wasn't a typical Christmas dinner, but Jack got some of his favorites so he was delighted. Yorkshire puddings and gravy, as well as a christmas pudding. It was quite commical to see warning signs on the golf course ...

... yet on the map it doesn't seem such a distance. The area included in the Kruger National Park is roughly the same as Wales, nearly 2 million hectares. It was established in 1898 by the then president Paul Kruger as a means to help preserve the natural bird, animal and plant life of Southern Africa. We entered at the Malelane Gate, walking over the bridge where we saw our first glimpse of real life wildlife- crocodiles lazing in the river! Then ...