As mentioned Berg-en-dal Camp had
advertised there was internet access but in fact there is not. Apparently there
used to be an internet cafe that people would use but they no longer have the
contract. So yesterday afternoon we pleaded our case and a young parks
employee, Thalani, got out his computer and let us use his Vodafone internet
connection to do a quick post. As we were borrowing his personal access we
didn’t put in any of the many wonderful pictures we have collected the past few
days. Same today. Hopefully soon!
Forgot to mention that on our
sunrise game drive yesterday Doug spied a mushroom growing out of some elephant
dung and was upset he could not get out of the truck to examine and photograph
it. Norma knew if he were allowed out we would be there for at least 30 minutes
as he got on his knees, studied it, tried to identify it and photographed it –
at least 50 times!!
After two very early mornings we
just hung around yesterday afternoon, got the laundry done, etc. We did
discover there is a dam behind the reception where wildlife can sometimes be
viewed. We were lucky enough to see two crocodiles and one hippo in there. We
also really enjoyed watching the Vervet monkeys in the campground. We were
struck with the intense blue of the male scrotum, which is characteristic of
the species. The little ones were so tiny and adorable. One of them got hold of
a candy wrapper and was busy trying to lick the inside of it, not even bothered
we were there. Earlier we saw an upset camper trying to chase a monkey from
their tent trailer where we presume it was up to no good.
Still can’t believe how close we
were to the herd of giraffes yesterday. They were so busy eating they didn’t
even pay us any mind.
Not sure why but we were awake
early again this morning. The bush camp compounds are fenced and only open from
6 am to 6 pm partially we think to keep people from being out on the roads in
the dark running into wildlife. We could hear people driving over the
electrified cattle guard as soon as the gate opened, hoping to get views of the
animals as the best time for catching them is early morning and at sunset.
We headed off first thing for a
walk along the perimeter of the bush camp. We were hoping to see the hippo
again but it was probably out foraging. We did see a marabou crane and his
crocodile friend, who came up to him and just kept on going!
This being the Easter Monday and
the end of the long weekend it was like a mass exodus from the camp. People
were packing up all around and getting on the road. We understand this is a
great destination from Joburg, which is 6 hours away, luckily we were not going
in that direction so the drive was OK traffic-wise. We travelled through mostly
orange orchards and farmland but also large tracts of cultured eucalyptus and
pine forests.
We are at the Sundowner guest
house and caravan park for the night. A grocery store was just down the block
so we have stocked up for the next few days. We intend to go to another
National Park tomorrow where we will have no internet access. We still have to
see a lion and zebras!
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| Can you find the croc? |
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