This is the first of a series of posts I plan to do about my adventures in South Africa this spring. The 10 days I spent in the bush, in Cape Town and in the Vinelands was a profound experience. Anyone who has visited this part of the world would probably say the same thing.
This is my take.
Well.
After I don’t know how many months - years! - of planning, postponing, planning, dreaming hoping, I am finally on my way.
The negative PCR test results and boarding pass are hand.
The luggage has been packed and unpacked and packed again.
Now it’s time to finally get excited about this long-awaited adventure.
To Africa!
The forms required by South Africa of non-citizens is astounding:
A completed form to enter the country
A completed form while in the country
A completed form to leave the country
These forms are identical to one another except for their title.
This is my first international trip since moving back to the U.K. and it’s okay to be excited.
The overnight flight from London Heathrow to Johannesburg International was uneventful. Virgin’s Upper Class has flat bed seats (as if I can sleep).
It’s the 10-seater single prop out of Jo’burg’s Grand Central that gets the juices flowing. That flight to Madikwe Wild Game Reserve is memorable. There are five passengers and two pilots.
We land first at Madikwe West to let two of the passengers off, on their way to their own lodge.
The landing field is dirt, and a giraffe gives us a curious glance as we take off again on our way to Madikwe East. (At the very right bottom of the pilot's rearview mirror is our landing strip.)
Ten minutes later we land again with a small group of elephants paying no attention to us. We are introduced to Mitch, our Ranger for the three-day stay.
On the 15 minute ride to the Madikwe Safari Lodge, we see more giraffes, a lot of zebras, an impala or 10.
We’re greeted by Frank at the entrance to the lodge. He spritzes our hands with disinfectant, the only pandemic requirement out here in the bush.
After explaining things around the lodge and introducing us to our suites, we are ushered to lunch on the lawn next to the swimming pool… looking out to a watering hole about 50 metres away.
While we enjoy a glass of crisp South African sauvignon blanc, two herds of elephants, a family of warthogs and several impalas wander up to the watering hole.
Walking up to the low electric fence that separates the humans from the animals, I suddenly burst into tears from sheer awe. A staff member, Rebecca, puts her arms around me, smiles knowingly and gives me a good hug.
This trip is going to be epic.
We have a bit of time to settle in before we are called to the
The First Afternoon Drive
It’s all about elephants and giraffes.
But also shrub hares, impalas, kudus and birds.
Spending time on a drive means spending time sitting, with engine off, just taking in every thing, every sound, every smell.
A herd of elephants watching after their little ones, including a very little one who hasn’t quite figured out how to work its trunk. It’s not unlike watching a human baby trying to figure out how to work its arms and legs.
After some time (times gets away from one here), we move on to watch a group of giraffes and learning about those little horns they have, how they “drop” their newborns at birth (they don't get down on the ground to give birth, so the newborn literally drops to the ground). We learn why they don’t like to get their head below their heart: their heart automatically stops the blood to the brain so that they don’t have a stroke. Think about how much blood pressure it takes to pump blood up all that neck.
We spend time searching for the wild animals, then sit there, silently, watching.
A young-ish bull elephant (late 20s early 30s) strides past us. He is in musk, dripping from his genitals and ears - wanting to find a female. He’s a bit on the muscle, (a term my mother used to describe me when I was in a bad mood), and turns to look at us with what looks to me a menacing “don’t mess with me,” look, pauses, then continues on. Elephants are easily big enough and strong enough to push over our car. We are happy to see him pass us by. Boy does he stink.
Someone asked Mitch what his scariest experience was in the bush. He said when a bull elephant once charged him.
At dusk, we discover three grazing rhinoceroses and some baboons in the dusky distance filling in cracks on a cliffside.
There’s a very nice tradition in the bush: toward the end of a four-hour drive, the ranger stops the car in a clear space to give the guests a bit of time to stretch our legs. Close to sunset, we stop for our first “sundowner” which includes the sunset and a cocktail. Gin and tonic is a favourite, so is a glass of wine and some nibbles.
Our Ranger, Mitch (nice young fellow) has been at Madikwe for six years and he really knows his stuff.
More about Mitch later, during this tale.
Once we’re back in the “car” (a Toyata Land Cruiser specially customised for safari trips) the sun is down and it is dark. Mitch gets out his searchlight and follows it left and right while driving (he keeps his eye on the road each time he sweeps from right to left, left to right) always looking for “red eyes” in the bush. If he sees “blue eyes” he moves the light away from these daylight animals so as not to cause them night blindness and make them more vulnerable to predators. He also knows all these roads so well, and we don’t expect to see more than one or two other vehicles. Just animals.
Finally, coming home after several hours with mostly elephants and giraffes, we come around the last bend before our lodge, and there, right across the road is a very large, very impressive spider web, blocking our narrow dirt road. The architect of this web sits right at its centre.
After a short pause, Mitch says, “let’s go back around past the staff quarters and leave the spider to its web.
This is when I know Mitch is a true Ranger. He also tells us “we don’t eat the animals who live here. The only ones killing anything here are the predators.”
We understand now that the impala venison we eat at dinner is brought in from elsewhere. They are so tender, just like deer venison we get at our local butcher. We send our praises to the chef, who comes out to greet us and thank us for the compliment. Her name is Gaylee.
We are escorted back to our suites along a dimly lit pathway and bid goodnight.
Inside my suite there is a ceiling fan and an air conditioner I don’t really need. The room is spacious and, in the winter, the fireplace is surely a welcome addition on the cold nights.
We are in the last bit of summer here in March, so a fire isn’t necessary. I’ll talk a little about my accommodations a bit later.
Stay tuned for
The First Morning Drive
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