Ghostblog Hantu dan Mitos

Today, I had a nice, lazy start. We're talking breakfast after nine. I left the hotel at precisely 10AM and noted that the drive to Numbi gate was 27 minutes (and this was not during the morning rush) and not the TEN/FIFTEEN minutes advertised. With the formidable Hlengiwe, who rules the Rissington Inn with an iron fist in a velvet glove. The hotel frequently makes use of the term "home" in its advertizing, but with these guys its more than a gimmick, they actually make you feel so welcome. I drove straight to the Voortrekker Road, my beloved but oh, how kidney rattling route roughly southeast in the park. First, I came across four giraffes walking across a plain and one of them was limping rather badly. I fear he was not long for this world, as the Kruger is many things but not a welfare state. Video of the limping giraffe. McGoof w/bird on the shoulder. Later, I happened upon a troop of baboons which kept me entertained for several minutes with their antics. At one poin...

I started out with a light breakfast at the Rissington and was surprised at how flavorful a slice of toast with baked beans and a fried egg could be. I even indulged with a creamy yoghurt before setting off into Hazyview, for a visit to the sanctuary Elephant Whispers. I met up with my old friend Shirley at a gas station. She was on leave from the hotel because she had just had her third boy, but the child had been placed with a nanny for the day and she'd called ahead and organized a discount for us, since she represented the Rissington and was therefore in a position to recommend the place to other tourists. We started out with a quick orientation about the sad plight of elephants; we were told that a hundred and something years ago, the elephants could roam 97% of the land and humans only 3%, but now the numbers were reversed. Humanity's instinct to meddle has now caused a situation where all the sanctuaries are at capacity and most of the natural parks are way above. For ex...

On Wednesday, I was up pretty early and got out of camp before 6:30AM. I dawdled for a few minutes, going north first, and I did get in some pics and videos of the jackals again, but I soon found there was nothing exciting happening, so I turned around and went south. That way, it was the usual story - zebras, wildebeest, impala. An ellie or a giraffe every now and then, but nothing to write home about. The jackals were still hanging out at Satara. Prolly mom and pup. I did the loop to Orpen dam and got some pics of hippos and a croc at the dam, then I stuffed face at Tshokwane. They had a breakfast dish just called something like "old style" and it was tasty. I also had a decent honey chicken jaffle. I impressed my cook with a heartfelt "thank you" in Swazi (Niabonga!) and drove off. Lizard at Orpen Dam. Croc at Orpen Dam. Hippo at Orpen Dam. No problem, from what I've seen they're perfectly capable of feeding themselves. Bird stealing food leftovers from t...