Third Africa Page - DKT Page 23

Today we drove the length of the West Coast of South Africa, from the Fish River Canyon in Namibia to Capetown . . . about 850 kilometers. The terrain changed dramatically after we crossed the Orange River: from mostly dry desert and mopane scrub to lush, green, rolling hill country heavily cultivated with citrus and avocado orchards.

We'd reserved an apartment on the upper floor of an oceanfront home in Llandudno, an isolated little suburb 15 km's south of downtown. Ten km's north of Capetown we were met by our proprietor, Ian McPherson, and he guided us through the city to his home. As we rounded out of the city, skirting the vertical escarpment of Table Mountain on the left and the rugged Atlantic coastline on the right, it became obvious why many people say that Capetown is one of the most spectacularly situated cities in the world. The giant rocks and crashing surf at Llandudno reminds one of a wilder version of the coastline around Monterey and Pacific Grove.

Kaaren and Ty spent the morning walking through the beautiful Kirstenbosch Gardens on the eastern slope of Table Mountain. Dan went into the city to shop for a local internet provider. Lunch at Fisherman's Wharf in Hout Bay.

Drove through the national park at Cape Point, the southernmost tip of Africa where Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. Ostrich and Eland (largest of all antelope) graze the scrub on the hillsides, and obnoxious baboons terrorize the tourists.

People kept taking pictures of our car and we wondered why until somebody yelled to us that a baboon was eating our antenna. We tried driving away but he just rode atop the roof, stomping and scratching and screaming at us for a handout (Ganz verboten!). Only after we'd driven several hundred meters did he give up and jump off, still cursing at us.

That evening we drove to a waterfront restaurant in Capetown to have dinner with the dearest people we met in South Africa: Gielie, Elsabe, and Erika Swart. We'd first met them at the Kuruman Mission weeks earlier. Then, several days later and 1000 kilometers distant, by sheer happenstance we ended up in adjacent rondavels at Okaukuejo Camp in Etosha. The whole Swart family are avid birders and spend most holidays cruising Southern Africa in their safari wagon searching out new species. At Okaukuejo Ty and Erika quickly struck up a friendship and spent hours walking and talking and looking for birds and animals down at the waterhole.

They asked us to call when we got to Capetown. Over dinner we looked at maps and charted out an idyllic safari through Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe that we'd like to do together someday. Where Gielie wants to go is very wild country and would be safer done with two vehicles, and he thinks we'd make a great troop. After his two girls, then birds, Gielie's next love in life is fine wine. He presented us with a box containing a selection of half a dozen bottles of his favorite vintages.

Said goodbye to the Ian McPherson and started driving eastward along the beautiful southern coast, known as the Garden Route. Before reaching the coast though, along both sides of the highway are hundreds of acres of shantytowns. Many of those who live in the pathetic little hovels made of cardboard and tin are illegal immigrants from northern countries attracted to the southern cape by the slim hope of finding work in a country already desperately trying to generate jobs for millions of unemployed. Basic services in the shantytowns are minimal and anarchy prevails.

Further east the land becomes lush and green; lots of grape and citrus cultivation. We rented a little bungalow at Tsitsikama Lodge for the night and Ty found a several new birds there. Experienced a novel meteorological phenomenon. It was cool and humid when we went to bed, but when we woke at dawn a tremendous wind was blowing, hard enough that it was difficult to walk against. The extraordinary thing was the heat of the wind . . . so hot and dry that in just moments eyes and lips were parched.

Eastward along the coast to Port Elizabeth, and then north to Addo Elephant Park. This reserve was set aside to protect the last of the great southern elephant herds. Lots of elephants, including frolicking tiny babies. Black rhinos at the waterhole.

The biggest species of dung beetle lives here. The ball of elephant poo this one is rolling across the road was about the size of a baseball.

Addo to Bloemfentein. We stayed at the inexpensive and very comfortable Dias Guesthouse run by Rhyno and Mariette Kreik. Unfortunately, even in this clean and prosperous town there is a sense of being under siege, with security systems and bars on every window and door. On billboards and in all the media we see evidence of a countrywide campaign underway to promote respect for law and order, especially among youth.

Bloemfentein to Pilanesberg National Park. Stopped by Sun City (South Africa's Las Vegas) on the way, but when they asked for R120 just to enter the place we drove on. Great accommodations inside Pilanesburg. Ty went on an evening game drive. Plenty of zebra, warthog, antelope species (including first Bushbuck).

We are the first ones out the camp gates for a game drive when they opened at 0600. It's a beautiful, lusher park than we've seen heretofore. Game is plentiful: all antelope species including eland, waterbuck, bushbuck, kudu, plus hippos, rhinos, warthogs, giraffes, and lots of birds. About 0730 we stopped at a wide spot with a good view to have our breakfast of biltong and granola (again, as in other parks, you're not supposed to step out of your car for any reason).

A short distance ahead the road curved out of sight. Suddenly a great bull elephant rounded the corner and marched down the road towards us. He started acting agitated, stomping his feet, and ripping apart the roadside trees and throwing them about. The oily stains down the side of his face from temporal glands in front of the ears were the surest indication that he was caught up in the throes of muust, when bull elephants go looking for females, or another elephant to fight with. A car had pulled up right behind us so we couldn't back away from him. He passed just feet from us and fortunately decided to seek out more worthy opposition.

We drove a little farther and saw in the road an empty potato chip bag some thoughtless cretin had thrown out his window. Dan stopped to retrieve it and though it was dripping wet, assumed it was just dew-soaked and tossed it into the back seat with Ty. We immediately noticed that the car was filled with an incredibly powerful aroma, and quickly realized that our horny elephant friend had 'marked' the obtrusive piece of litter by peeing on it. For days afterward the car reeked of 'eau d'elephant'.

Around noon we stopped to watch three bulls frolicking about in a lake. When they came out of the water one of them became very aggressive and again we were forced to beat a hasty retreat. Later in the day Ty went on a night drive with a Parks Board Ranger. The ranger told him that six weeks earlier two people had been killed by an enraged elephant. One of the fatalities was a tourist whose car got stomped into spare parts; the other was a professional hunter sent out to put down the same rogue bull.

Lots of night noises. Buttonscale geckos live under the eves and make an incredibly loud bark for such a small critter. Throughout the night we were repeatedly awakened by screams of fighting baboons just outside the fence.

Another long day driving north and eastward from Manyane Camp at Pilanesburg to Kruger National Park; along the way passing through lush avocado and citrus valleys dotted with picturesque villages of mud rondavels. Though we had started driving just after dawn, we barely made it through the gates at Punda Maria minutes before the 1830 closing time.

Punda Maria to Sirheni. Drove to north boundary of Kruger National Park and the Republic of South Africa, looking across the crocodile-strewn Limpopo River to Mozambique on opposite shore. Many new birds, including spectacular White-fronted Bee-eaters.

We arrived at Sirheni to find the river dried-up . . . unusual for this time of year. There remains a pool behind the dam with crocs and snorting hippos. We prepared dinner on the braai at the forest's edge behind our bungalow, complemented by one of Gielie's bottles of wine. All through dinner a toad high in the rafters kept pooping on the table. After dark a Small Spotted Genet showed up and ate the leftover chicken.

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