Into The Bush - An Adventure in Southern Africa

Whoa!!! Let me just say that this trip ROCKED. A confluence of various people, activities and places made this vacation one of the most memorable ever. We left on the 21st of November and returned on the 3rd of December. There were 5 of us on the trip:

We arrived in Johannesburg and spent a day recovering from approximately 20 hours of travel time. George and Mimi Angelos (Terry's parents) met us at the airport and escorted us back to Casa de Angelos, a mediterranean flat high in the hills overlooking the city. Later, we met Miss Tina Angelos (Terry's sister) for a cappucino and a delightful dish of fresh fruit before picking up needed supplies for the next day's journey to Simbambili. Simbambili is the name of the lodge at Kruger where we would be staying. That evening we enjoyed a delicious meal with Terry's family (a prelude to our meals in the days to come) and met our final safari traveling companion, Johnny, Tina's boyfriend.

The following morning the seven of us (including Johnny and Tina) packed up the vehicles with our things as well as several meals Mimi had prepared for us to eat at the lodge. The drive was long and the scenery proceeded to get more interesting the closer we got to the park. There's a shot of a beautiful gorge in the 'To the Bush' section.

While at the lodge, our days revolved around two daily game drives: one in the morning, starting about 5:30 AM, and an evening drive starting about 4:30 PM. During these drives, our ranger, Koetzer drove the vehicle while his sidekick James acted as the tracker searching the bush for interesting animals to look at. The ground we covered in this jeep (actually, a Range Rover) was an adventure in itself. The rest of us, of course, also looked for game but I don't know that anyone ever spotted anything before James or Koetzer. These guys are remarkable, not only in their visual acuity, but their respect for the animals and general likeability. While you're there, these guys are part of your team (you spend most of your day with one or both of them) so it's imperative that they're just nice guys.

The animals are truly amazing to watch. While I've seen just about everything in a zoo, it truly is a different and magnificent experience to see these beasts in their natural environment. For one, it makes me feel closer to the animal in a way; that I can share its space rather than force it into mine. Certainly, there is also the element of danger which makes the situation a little more exciting. The animals are familiar with people to some extent and aren't threatened so the risk is probably low. However, you could definitely tell our ranger was a bit nervous on a couple of different occasions (like when we came crashing through the brush to see a rhino standing 30 feet in front of the jeep at night or when a big bull elephant nearly charged us, again after dark). I find the creatures fascinating to watch as I attempt to understand them. Bottom line is survival - even for the humorous and under-appreciated dung beetles.

Overall, we spent about two and a half days (5 game drives) at Simbambili and have quite the collection of photos to show for it. In addition to the pictures, I took a couple short movies of the lions we saw: Mommy Lion and You're Not So Tough. And one short of riding in the jeep.

The following day Will, Mike, Terry and myself decided to do the white water rafting trip on the Zambezi below the falls. We ventured down a treacherous path to make it to the bottom of the cliffs and launch our raft with four other adventurers (2 Brit gals, a Canadian gal who we had actually met at the Falls the night before and another American) and our guide. The day consisted of rafting an amazing 21 rapids, most of which (maybe all) are class 4 or class 5, broken midway by a meal of chicken and rice on the riverbank. The biggest drop was about 18 feet straight into impending doom but we rode it like a champ. Everyone except Will and our guide went for multiple swims but that was all part of the experience. I've never done anything like it with the possible exception of skydiving. No question, rafting was a day of unparalleled fun. (Rafting 1, Rafting 2, Rafting 3)

Our final morning in Vic Falls we wandered around the market and bartered with the locals for carved wood and stone curios, chess boards, statues, bowls and other assorted items. Mike got the best deal by trading an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt for stuff. Next time I'll know to clean out my closet before I go.

The last leg of our journey we spent in picturesque Cape Town. This city is in a wonderful spot just between the ocean with its beaches and Table Mountain with its hiking and biking trails. For the sophisticate, there are wine lands to the north and a cosmopolitan atmosphere that makes the city stand out in a country where you might think fashion and nightlife don't exist. Several of the people I met gave me the idea that Cape Town is almost like a melting pot of African and European culture and people. Cape Town was a beautiful place to spend the last few days of our vacation, touring the countryside, enjoying cappucinos in the cafes and drinking and dancing 'til the wee hours of the morning.

For more pics, you can check out Mike's web site.