Photo Attempt Again

I have fnally managed to upoad a couple of photos which belong with the previous post.  Just a couple of animal pictures from my ancient camera.

Pair of lions from the SanWild Pride.



Warthog mother and baby (love thse tusks).

My First Day at SanWild

21 Jun 11

Basically spent most of the day being chauffeured around the Farm (yes, that’s what they call it) to get the lie of the land.  It also had the effect of getting the first amazement of seeing African animals out of my system, it is like living in a documentary.  There are zebra, impala, wildebeest, wart hogs and giraffe everywhere.  I also saw heaps of lions, cheetah, a leopard cub (rescued with a broken leg so therefore currently in a small enclosure) close up, and many other animals in the distance.  However, without a doubt the most amazing experience was to be able to pet Bliksem, an adolescent Black Rhino which has been hand reared after poachers killed his mother.  Black Rhinos are supposed to be the most aggressive so this was even more amazing.  Apparently two attempts have been made to release Bliksem out to free roam the farm however he refuses to go!  Below are a few of the better pictures from my ancient Camera of a few of the animals.

An adolescent Black Rhino which hab been saved as a baby when poachers killed his mother.

Giraffe in the bush.

Sorry the connection won't let me upload the other two photos at the moment!  This is getting very annoying.

I went out on my first ambush with the team during the night, which is a nightly event, even though no poachers have been on the farm for about two months.  As the neighbouring farm gets hit fairly regularly it goes to show that SanWild’s anti-poaching program is an effective deterrent.  The highlight of the night was having the hippos roaring about 200 m behind us, which I was able to see on the extraction.  I have yet to see one during the day though.

Still Having Computer Issues

Well, I have been here a few weeks now but for some reason I am still having major connectivity issues with my internet.  I am trying to work through them so please be patient.

Overall I am well and having a ball over here.  Every day is something new, although I am starting to get a bit blase about some of the animals!  Just another Wart Hog, Zebra, Wilderbeest, Giraffe or Impala!

Stay well everyone and please keep checking the site.

Regards,

Gary

The Long Bus Trip

20 Jun 11

I travelled up from Jo’burg to Phalaborwa by bus on 20 Jun which took about 8 hours, but it enabled me to get a feel for the country.  The landscape and vegetation are actually quite similar to Australia although obviously the plants are different species with the exception of around the towns and cities where Australian Gum trees are everywhere.  I was a bit surprised by the population density though.  It seemed to me that there are very poor townships all along the highway.  I guess I was expecting the settlement patterns to be bit more like the NT.

There was a bit of a mix up when I arrived however, as the person tasked to pick me up thought I was flying in and went to the airport.  All sorted out in the end though.

Bukisa (named after the local elephant) Camp lounge area.  We use itwhn there are no guests.



Bukisa Camp lounge building (it has been too cold to use the pool) and the warning sign (yes it is serious).



Slow Connection

Well it took me three hours to upload the five photos above, so I think it will take me a while to get up to date!  A I don't have a lot of free time, please be patient.

My One Day in Jo’burg

19 Jun 11

Arrived in Johannesburg at about 0700 local time (7.5 hours behind NT Time) after a 13 hour flight as we had to detour a long way north to avoid the ash cloud.  Grabbed a Taxi to the Hotel Lamunu, where the staff very kindly let me check in early.  The rooms, while relatively small (but not too small!) were very flash.  The photos below show what you get for R600, about $85.00 per night.

My room at the Lamunu Hotel from the bathroom door (opening).

Bathroom at Lamunu Hotel (with shower big enough for two (or more)).

As I was determined not to give in to jet lag I booked a city tour for that afternoon on which I visited Soweto and the Apartheid Museum.  A very brief selection of photos are below. 



The Apartheid Museum in Jo'burg (Yes that is a gum tree in the photo - There are more Australian gum trees in Jo'burg than in Sydney!).



One of the 'squatter townships' on the outskirts of Soweto.

One of the original style of houses in Soweto built by the old South African Government for the Blacks under Apartheid.

 

As I didn’t have enough time to see everything at the Museum and there are still a lot of places around Jo’burg that I want to see I will come back for a longer visit later in the trip.

Finally on Line!

Well it is now 2 Jul 11 and finally I have got internet connectivity in South Africa, the same problems as back home if you live remotely.  I have been good over the last few weeks and writing up my posts in a word document, so I can do a massive data dump when I got on (now)!  So feel free to sit back and wade through my travels so far.