So I think this might be my last post while in S. Africa but perhaps I'll write something on the way to the airport tomorrow. So yah, not so much to tell you since we've come back to the main camp in Vaalwater...
We hunted yesterday and harvested two warthogs and a bushbok. The bushbok was an upsale by our very skilled guide Andrias. My dad took it... It's a beautiful animal. This morning we're going after wildebeest and impala. So if you're keeping track that's 6 days of hunting in 9 days of being in SA! It's been fun and quite fruitful but I'm kind of ready for something else! ;) I've almost got everyone convinced to go to the white lion perserve tomorrow before we leave.
It's a breeding/conservation area where they are helping to increase the white lion population. My understanding is that they're not albino but it's actually a ressesive gene that makes these lions white. I've been told there are some new cubs there that look just like little snowballs and I'd definitely like to see if we can't photograph them! We'll see though.
As far as my photo safari has gone so far? Very successful! Lots and lots and LOTS of pics. Some even of people! :) But I've got baby giraffe, young elephants, rinos, and great close-ups of a lion! It's funny now that we've been here for a while whenever we see a giraffe or rino I only take 3-5 pictures instead of 30-50! Haha. This lens is great and I think I've got more than one "wow" shot so I'm happy. Would've loved to had the opportunity to get a cheetah or leopard but I guess that's a reason to come back!
The camp has been lots of fun... Still eating great and sleeping well and the weather has been quite cool... I'm in a fleece and pants this morning!
We've made good friends in our guide Andrias, his wife Stephie, and our tracker Mandlla who as I have said is very good. I think we are going to have to follow up with them once we get back to the States!
I'm not sure what else to tell you! I can't wait to go through the pictures and grab a hundred or so to share with you all on the web! I'm also excited to share some South African wine and Amarula as both are very tasty!
I'm defintely in withdrawls from football! Hahaha. Definitely ready to watch the Cowboys beat the Broncos on Sunday!! In a way I'm almost ready to get back to work too. More than anything im ready to be back with Karissa. This is a loooooong vacation and it's been tough being apart!!
Welp, I guess I'll quit rambling and sign off for now. Perhaps we'll see or experience something crazy or extraordinary on the way to the airport tomorrow and I'll update this sucket again, otherwise I'll defintely post an update once we're back in the States!
-- Dan
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Kruger
Hiya everybody!
So we're well into our second week out here and on our way back to the main camp from Kruger NP. Before I go any further though I want you all to know that riding in this damn passenger van is about the most uncomfortable thing you can imagine. We sit over the axel and the roads are so terrible that we literally hit our heads on the ceiling on some of the bumps. Anyway... All that being said we've been having a great time in the park!!! ;) Its only the 6-7 hour drive to and from the park I'm complaining about! Haha. Oh and they drive on the left side of the road here! I had no idea...
So onto what they call the 14th greatest park in the world (and I have no idea how they came up with that ranking)! Basically it's just 5 million acres of places to camp or rent out a room (which we did) and then go drive out into the park (with a cooler full of beer!) to see what you can see... and we saw quite a lot! I'll talk more about that later.
What I want to talk about first is the camps and the camping that goes on in this place. First of all there are maybe 12 constructed and maintained camps that you rent out huts which are really 2-5 bedroom houses. Each camp has a resturaunt and gift shop ("curio shop") and is well maintained and really nice but what's crazy about these places is that they are like compounds in that they're surrounded by electric high fence, the entrance is guarded and you have to be in before and you can't leave after 6PM!! All because of the preadators. So fun. I begged for a lion in camp but I never got one! :(
Seriously though, you can go out on "night game drives" where you are escorted in a safari vehicle with an armed ranger and you have spotlights and you drive around looking for cool nocturnal animals! But that's it. If you're caught in the park after hours it's a serious fine. I didn't really get all the hub-bub about not getting out of your vehicle except in designated areas, not being out in the park, and all of the protection around camp until I asked the guide and our driver if it was all just a show. I guess that armed rangers have been taken by leopards on these night drives and that at least one person a year turns into kitty food when they get out of their car for a closer picture. After some choice stories I bought into it all.
So what did we see?! Well on the night drive we got to see some night birds, a hyena, and two different kinds of jackals along with some other less cool stuff. We scoured the trees for leopards but we never did see one. During the day we did get to see 4 lions one of which was right by a zebra the pride had recently taken down. Way cool. There are about 1600 lions in the park which compared to the 300 cheetahs is definitley impressive. Pretty much everywhere you looked there were elephants, giraffe, buffalo, impala, waterbok, and other deer-like animals. We did see a rino out there too which was great. Saw some elephants (play) fighting and a little tiny, like 3-6 month old elephant. We tried and tried to get a picture but the other elephants had it protected so well we could never get a clean shot at it. It's really really neat seeing all of these animals in their actual habitat and not surrounded by fence. Definitley a fun experience. I have a few crappy photos to share but I won't get the good ones up until I get back I think. Here are some terrible camera phone pictures of elephants and giraffe as a taster. ;)
What made the Kruger experience really fun and interactive is that you get a little pamphlet check list and a map/guide book that shows pictures of all of the animals and birds and then as you see them you look them up and check them off. We made lots of progress on the list and it will be fun to use to show people what birds and animals are what once we get the pictures up. We saw some pretty rare sightings according to our guide... An oriobi for example is this very little deer looking thing that I guess is on it's way out of existence. So it was cool to see that.
So it's back to hunting tomorrow... I think I've been convinced to try and take a warthog for my sister and her husband (he flys A-10 "Warthogs") but we'll see.
Everyone is doing well out here. The malaria pills haven't caused anyone to get sunburnt and no one has gotten sick... Except for a little homesick! All of us talk about bringing our wives back here some day to let them experience it and I know the only thing that could make this better is if Karissa were here... I am quickly getting ready to get back to see her. We have 4 more days before we head to the airport and then it will be another day of travelling before we get home. I'll definitely try to get at least one more update on here before we leave... Sorry they're so sparse! We are definitley staying busy. Hasta pasta!
-- Dan
So we're well into our second week out here and on our way back to the main camp from Kruger NP. Before I go any further though I want you all to know that riding in this damn passenger van is about the most uncomfortable thing you can imagine. We sit over the axel and the roads are so terrible that we literally hit our heads on the ceiling on some of the bumps. Anyway... All that being said we've been having a great time in the park!!! ;) Its only the 6-7 hour drive to and from the park I'm complaining about! Haha. Oh and they drive on the left side of the road here! I had no idea...
So onto what they call the 14th greatest park in the world (and I have no idea how they came up with that ranking)! Basically it's just 5 million acres of places to camp or rent out a room (which we did) and then go drive out into the park (with a cooler full of beer!) to see what you can see... and we saw quite a lot! I'll talk more about that later.
What I want to talk about first is the camps and the camping that goes on in this place. First of all there are maybe 12 constructed and maintained camps that you rent out huts which are really 2-5 bedroom houses. Each camp has a resturaunt and gift shop ("curio shop") and is well maintained and really nice but what's crazy about these places is that they are like compounds in that they're surrounded by electric high fence, the entrance is guarded and you have to be in before and you can't leave after 6PM!! All because of the preadators. So fun. I begged for a lion in camp but I never got one! :(
Seriously though, you can go out on "night game drives" where you are escorted in a safari vehicle with an armed ranger and you have spotlights and you drive around looking for cool nocturnal animals! But that's it. If you're caught in the park after hours it's a serious fine. I didn't really get all the hub-bub about not getting out of your vehicle except in designated areas, not being out in the park, and all of the protection around camp until I asked the guide and our driver if it was all just a show. I guess that armed rangers have been taken by leopards on these night drives and that at least one person a year turns into kitty food when they get out of their car for a closer picture. After some choice stories I bought into it all.
So what did we see?! Well on the night drive we got to see some night birds, a hyena, and two different kinds of jackals along with some other less cool stuff. We scoured the trees for leopards but we never did see one. During the day we did get to see 4 lions one of which was right by a zebra the pride had recently taken down. Way cool. There are about 1600 lions in the park which compared to the 300 cheetahs is definitley impressive. Pretty much everywhere you looked there were elephants, giraffe, buffalo, impala, waterbok, and other deer-like animals. We did see a rino out there too which was great. Saw some elephants (play) fighting and a little tiny, like 3-6 month old elephant. We tried and tried to get a picture but the other elephants had it protected so well we could never get a clean shot at it. It's really really neat seeing all of these animals in their actual habitat and not surrounded by fence. Definitley a fun experience. I have a few crappy photos to share but I won't get the good ones up until I get back I think. Here are some terrible camera phone pictures of elephants and giraffe as a taster. ;)
What made the Kruger experience really fun and interactive is that you get a little pamphlet check list and a map/guide book that shows pictures of all of the animals and birds and then as you see them you look them up and check them off. We made lots of progress on the list and it will be fun to use to show people what birds and animals are what once we get the pictures up. We saw some pretty rare sightings according to our guide... An oriobi for example is this very little deer looking thing that I guess is on it's way out of existence. So it was cool to see that.
So it's back to hunting tomorrow... I think I've been convinced to try and take a warthog for my sister and her husband (he flys A-10 "Warthogs") but we'll see.
Everyone is doing well out here. The malaria pills haven't caused anyone to get sunburnt and no one has gotten sick... Except for a little homesick! All of us talk about bringing our wives back here some day to let them experience it and I know the only thing that could make this better is if Karissa were here... I am quickly getting ready to get back to see her. We have 4 more days before we head to the airport and then it will be another day of travelling before we get home. I'll definitely try to get at least one more update on here before we leave... Sorry they're so sparse! We are definitley staying busy. Hasta pasta!
-- Dan
Friday, September 25, 2009
A new day!
Alright so it's cool... I'm just going to save after every paragraph. I'll try and remember the 10 paragraphs I wrote previously! It was still raining this morning but now it's just cloudy and cool.
I'll start with some updates on the place were staying. It's very nice and quite plush even though it's obvious we're in the bush. We have our own little "hut" with a 20ft high ceiling that is a thatched roof. The compound/lodge/resort is all thatched and is quite African (naturally). There is a bar and dinner tables outside by the pool. The bar is where we all sit around swapping stories from the day. Castle is the local beer brand and it isn't bad at all... We've been turned on to Amarula which is like Bailey's but mixed with the fruit of the Marula tree (an elephants favorite). Quite good... I'll definitley bring some back. There are probably two other groups at any given time out here that are also on safari so we all sit around and eat dinner together and talk about home. All good people.
The food has been excellent! We've eaten a different game meat each night and the sides are all great. We've had impala, kudu, blesbok, wildebeest, and chicken (not game I know but it keeps the variety streak alive)!! They had some mashed greenbeans the othernight that were fantastic... I would have never thought to prepare them that way.
As far as the hunting has gone, Aaron has "harvested" a zebra, a kudu, and a jackal. My dad has harvested a zebra and a warthog and Alan got an impala. 5 more animals to get before the wishlist is filled! (wildebeest, another impala, gemsbok, and two more warthogs in case you were wondering.) The guide and trackers are very respectful of the animals. They're shot humanely and cleaned up afterward out of respect (and it makes for a better picture. Heh.). The hunting is exactly what you'd expect in a safari... Ride around in the bush in the back of a 4x4 truck with rifles and start tracking the game. Gives us plenty of opportunity to see many many many different types of animals.
So far out here we've seen (and photographed) the following wildlife: rino, giraffe, baboons, monkeys, kudu, blesbok, springbok, wildebeest, gemsbok, warthog, hartebeest, klipspringer, steenbok, impala, nyala, bushbok, eland, waterbok, ostrich, emu, and tons of other cool and colorful birds. Of course they have all the same domestic animals...
It's hard to believe that we're still going to see more wildlife! We are on our way to Kruger National Park for 3 days to see all the other animals that they don't have where we have been staying. It's a 5 hour drive and I can tell you already that I miss our highways. I'll be 3 inches shorter when I get back to the states because of all the bumpy rides!! Talking to other tourists that have been, they say that Kruger is like RMNP but with the most diverse wildlife in the world. I'm ready to see some elephants, lions, hippos and the rest of them all!! We will spend one night outside of the park and one night inside of the park. Super excited for this side trip.
Photos photos photos!! I'm going to have to spend hours going through the 1000+ pictures I've taken so far. I'm sure I'll pitch maybe half of them as I'm still getting used to the lens and taking 4 or more photos of each animal I've seen. The photo opportunities so far have just been training for the Kruger trip. I've seen pictures where you get so close you can frame a lion and the side of the car in the same shot. Unfortunatley there is no getting out of the car for a super close up! :(
So enough animals... The human/social aspect of the country is quite different from the states. This is probably obvious to everyone but I didn't realize the extent of it until spending time here. I liken it to the way the US had racial segregation during the 60s. The racism on both sides is blatant and glaring. Our tracker eats lunch with us in the field but doesn't sit at our table at the lodge. I wish that would change. I think in time it will.
It is obviously poor in this area but it's better than other African countries or so I'm told. Some of the guys brought pens and candy for the kids but they need more. I will say that the safari industry out here does a lot to employ and bring money to the area. It employs lots of locals and the folks who work for the safaris end up staying on the property and are fed the good meals which is all much better than living in the tin shacks and cooking over wood fires. People are collecting firewood all over the place to cook with.
We're having fun over here seeing a bunch of the country. While riding around in the back of a 4x4 looking for animals to shoot is fun I am excited to see more! I'll have some updates after Kruger I'm sure. Tot siens! ("Untill next time" in Afrikaans!)
-- Dan
I'll start with some updates on the place were staying. It's very nice and quite plush even though it's obvious we're in the bush. We have our own little "hut" with a 20ft high ceiling that is a thatched roof. The compound/lodge/resort is all thatched and is quite African (naturally). There is a bar and dinner tables outside by the pool. The bar is where we all sit around swapping stories from the day. Castle is the local beer brand and it isn't bad at all... We've been turned on to Amarula which is like Bailey's but mixed with the fruit of the Marula tree (an elephants favorite). Quite good... I'll definitley bring some back. There are probably two other groups at any given time out here that are also on safari so we all sit around and eat dinner together and talk about home. All good people.
The food has been excellent! We've eaten a different game meat each night and the sides are all great. We've had impala, kudu, blesbok, wildebeest, and chicken (not game I know but it keeps the variety streak alive)!! They had some mashed greenbeans the othernight that were fantastic... I would have never thought to prepare them that way.
As far as the hunting has gone, Aaron has "harvested" a zebra, a kudu, and a jackal. My dad has harvested a zebra and a warthog and Alan got an impala. 5 more animals to get before the wishlist is filled! (wildebeest, another impala, gemsbok, and two more warthogs in case you were wondering.) The guide and trackers are very respectful of the animals. They're shot humanely and cleaned up afterward out of respect (and it makes for a better picture. Heh.). The hunting is exactly what you'd expect in a safari... Ride around in the bush in the back of a 4x4 truck with rifles and start tracking the game. Gives us plenty of opportunity to see many many many different types of animals.
So far out here we've seen (and photographed) the following wildlife: rino, giraffe, baboons, monkeys, kudu, blesbok, springbok, wildebeest, gemsbok, warthog, hartebeest, klipspringer, steenbok, impala, nyala, bushbok, eland, waterbok, ostrich, emu, and tons of other cool and colorful birds. Of course they have all the same domestic animals...
It's hard to believe that we're still going to see more wildlife! We are on our way to Kruger National Park for 3 days to see all the other animals that they don't have where we have been staying. It's a 5 hour drive and I can tell you already that I miss our highways. I'll be 3 inches shorter when I get back to the states because of all the bumpy rides!! Talking to other tourists that have been, they say that Kruger is like RMNP but with the most diverse wildlife in the world. I'm ready to see some elephants, lions, hippos and the rest of them all!! We will spend one night outside of the park and one night inside of the park. Super excited for this side trip.
Photos photos photos!! I'm going to have to spend hours going through the 1000+ pictures I've taken so far. I'm sure I'll pitch maybe half of them as I'm still getting used to the lens and taking 4 or more photos of each animal I've seen. The photo opportunities so far have just been training for the Kruger trip. I've seen pictures where you get so close you can frame a lion and the side of the car in the same shot. Unfortunatley there is no getting out of the car for a super close up! :(
So enough animals... The human/social aspect of the country is quite different from the states. This is probably obvious to everyone but I didn't realize the extent of it until spending time here. I liken it to the way the US had racial segregation during the 60s. The racism on both sides is blatant and glaring. Our tracker eats lunch with us in the field but doesn't sit at our table at the lodge. I wish that would change. I think in time it will.
It is obviously poor in this area but it's better than other African countries or so I'm told. Some of the guys brought pens and candy for the kids but they need more. I will say that the safari industry out here does a lot to employ and bring money to the area. It employs lots of locals and the folks who work for the safaris end up staying on the property and are fed the good meals which is all much better than living in the tin shacks and cooking over wood fires. People are collecting firewood all over the place to cook with.
We're having fun over here seeing a bunch of the country. While riding around in the back of a 4x4 looking for animals to shoot is fun I am excited to see more! I'll have some updates after Kruger I'm sure. Tot siens! ("Untill next time" in Afrikaans!)
-- Dan
Long time no update!!
So it turns out internet isn't quite as available as I had thought!! Anyway, I won't be able to upload pictures but I can take care of at least writing what I want to say!! First this is incredible!! I'm sitting here in a Texas sized thunderstorm and the power has gone out completely and we're here with candles...
Ok, I just wrote a huge update and somehow I lost it. I'm super pissed so I'm going to bed and will write more later. Ugh... How come I haven't learned my lesson to periodocially save things I'm working on?? I promise I'll write more once I've cooled down.
-- Dan
Ok, I just wrote a huge update and somehow I lost it. I'm super pissed so I'm going to bed and will write more later. Ugh... How come I haven't learned my lesson to periodocially save things I'm working on?? I promise I'll write more once I've cooled down.
-- Dan
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Football (American)
I almost forgot! CU got the W on Sat!! w0ot!1 So stoked that we can't go 0-12 now that when we ran into a pair of UT fans today I polietly informed them that CU will be travelling to Austin this year to ruin their season! ;) GO BUFFS!!
-- Dan
-- Dan
On the way to Jo-Burg!
Whirlwind tour de London is over! :( Made it to the Tower of London which inculded a viewing of the crown jewels and the armory (King Henry VII definitely had some confidence issues!) We then took a boat ride down the Thames to the London Eye and rode on that to see the rest of the city. Way cool. Pops and I threw out our theories on how they built that sucker and I was right! (Bragging rights for a while against a CE) We took The Underground (though I prefer calling it the "tube" now!) back to the Hubers' neighborhood, which is quite nice, and enjoyed a pint (or two for me) before getting on our way to the airport... By the way a warm pint of bitters ('mate) is terrible! Ugh. I don't care what Pan says. Washed it down with some Guiness.
All in all it was a BEAUTIFUL day in London... Next time I would like to do the tour on more sleep. We're running on an hour or two of airplane sleep. All in all it will be 48+ hours of not getting to actually lay down before we get to our destination!
Dad says we had a great time with Paul and Cheryl Huber who were our custom tour guides and treated us to all the touristy items including authentic fish and chips on the Thames (and rides to and fro the airport!)! Thx guys can't wait to see you all again!!!!
-- Dan
Oh, I'll get some pics up soon too!
All in all it was a BEAUTIFUL day in London... Next time I would like to do the tour on more sleep. We're running on an hour or two of airplane sleep. All in all it will be 48+ hours of not getting to actually lay down before we get to our destination!
Dad says we had a great time with Paul and Cheryl Huber who were our custom tour guides and treated us to all the touristy items including authentic fish and chips on the Thames (and rides to and fro the airport!)! Thx guys can't wait to see you all again!!!!
-- Dan
Oh, I'll get some pics up soon too!
Made it to London... Barely!
So the flight from Denver to DFW was uneventful except that the flight was late and put us at risk to miss the connection to London!!1 AA came through though and picked us up right off the sky bridge and put us on a bus down on the tarmac. Not only have I never been on a plane this big before but I definitely haven't seen one from this angle! Huge!! Fastest transfer between gates ever too!
Anyway... We made it this far. (...an entire season of Hard Knocks and a movie later... Hard to sleep!!) Can't wait for the whirlwind tour of London up next!
-- Dan
Anyway... We made it this far. (...an entire season of Hard Knocks and a movie later... Hard to sleep!!) Can't wait for the whirlwind tour of London up next!
-- Dan
Saturday, September 19, 2009
On our way!
We're all at the airport getting readyto fly to DFW before heading to London for the day... Then on our way to Johannasburg!! Pic is of the family saying goodbye to us with some beers before going through security!! More to come!
-- Dan
-- Dan
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