SHAMWARI GAME RESERVE SAFARI – MARCH 30TH TO 31st – PART 2

It’s taken me over a week to start writing about our safari adventure.  I seemed to have experienced mental overload after all the levels of stimuli we were exposed to.  It was difficult to answer when fellow passengers asked, “How was the safari?”  I couldn’t digest everything that we saw, heard, smell, felt over those two days.  It truly was an overwhelming feeling and I wondered if this is the way Michael feels every time he learns a new pattern in dance.  I think I now have an inkling of how he feels. 

At 7 p.m., we gathered again in the lodge’s lobby, enjoying the stillness after bouncing around in an all-terrain vehicle for the last three hours and talking to fellow lodgers who attended the wedding.  They were on their way out to the bush for the wedding reception and didn’t return to the lodge, we were told, until 2:30 a.m.!  That was one heck of a wedding reception. 

A warm and cozy fire pit was lit and we were invited to the outside veranda for dinner.  We were the only guests for the evening and little wooden tv stands (that’s what they looked like) were set up around the fire pit – one for Tobi, two for Michael and me, two next to us for John and Patsy and one for Rennie.  The weather was just right but we were told if it didn’t stay that way we could always move our dinner into the dining room where we ate lunch.  Fortunately, it remained lovely for the whole evening.  Our tables were set with a placemat and silverware and lit by lanterns.  We were offered drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.  

Our meal was going to be barbecued and at 8:30 p.m., the lights would be turned off by management in order to mark Earth Hour which was being observed around the world.  I had never heard of this before but read about it on the ship the following day in our newspaper.  “Cities around the world marked Earth Hour on Saturday by turning off lights at 8:30 p.m. local time in a call for global action on climate change.”  Apparently, lights were off from New York to Hong Kong, to Paris, to Athens, to Warsaw, and, of course, to South Africa. 

We began our culinary adventure with starters that, I must say, seemed a bit strange, at least partly.  We were served pretzels.  Yes, little pretzels and roasted hazelnuts.  Soup and salad were set up on a separate table for self-service.  The soup was butternut squash which was very creamy and delicious.  Salad was a particular kind of lettuce – I’m not sure what kind – and very tasty with all sorts of little vegetables.  Each table was given oil and vinegar in very tall, skinny bottles.  The main courses, being barbequed as we enjoyed our starters, soup and salad, were skewers of chicken, beef, prawns and vegetables.  We were also offered “venison” which I asked and was told was “kudu” one of the game animals.  Michael wouldn’t taste it but I did and it was very tender, nicely cooked and not gamey tasting at all, even though our next table mate, Tobi, thought it did.  Sides of corn and kale, roasted pumpkin, and broccoli and cauliflower in a cheese sauce, were served in separate covered cooking bowls.  Dessert included milk tart, skewered fruit, mint ice cream and something with coconut on top.  Although I’m, by no means, a gourmand and couldn’t tell you what specific spices were used or how the food was prepared, it all tasted wonderful.  The staff was very pleasant and accommodating, smiles all the time, and we felt very welcomed and were treated exceptionally.  

The weather was beautiful that evening and for part of the time, the sky was clear.  Tobi saw the Southern Cross in the sky but, by the time he mentioned it, there was a cloud cover.  Bugs were definitely around but, like I said before, unless they’re biting, they don’t really bother me.  A huge cicada thought he would have some of our dinner after he landed on our little tray, but a good swat nixed that idea. 

Tobi, as always, had work to do for the ship, and the other three passengers were eager to get to their suites, but Michael and I spent some time, after the lights were on again, looking in the gift boutique for something special to bring back from this trip.  Although there were no magnets (Michael will make one out of the cardboard luggage tag from our room), I did see a beautiful woven traditional Zulu basket.  The Zulus are the largest tribe in South Africa renowned for their artistry and craftsmanship.  The one I bought was woven by Nokulunga Motshwa.  This basket is the Ukhamba style which is a rigid, bulb shaped container, rendered watertight by the tightness of the coil/weave and the material used which is ilala palm.  The brown and black colors are from the roots of trees, crushed and boiled for many days.  The diamond design is said to be “feminine” – “The Shields of Shaka.”  It cost 380 African Rand which is less than $25.00.  Sibu was our host for the evening and he was the pleasant young man who described the lovely “milky drink” we were served upon arriving back at the lodge and helped me choose an item from the boutique. 

Following dinner, dessert and carrying our newly-purchased Zulu basket, we traversed the spiral stairway down to the lower level and walked along the lighted pathway to our suite.  I had already told Michael that we had to take a dip in the pool just so we could say we did!  How could we have a completely private swimming pool steps outside of our room and not use it if only to take a picture?  So, there I am somehow managing to get myself into the pool while Michael is trying to set up the self-timer thingie on his camera.  One try, nothing.  Two tries, nothing.  Three tries, nothing.  And he’s not even in the pool yet while I’m getting a bit chilled.  A few hours ago when we arrived, the water was warm from the sun, but now, close to 10 p.m., it wasn’t all that warm.  I’m moving my arms, kicking my feet, trying to get a little warmth and finally the camera is set.  He managed to get part of himself into the water behind me before the flash actually flashed and here it is!  Not a great photo but a photo to commemorate the end of a perfect day!  Taking a quick shower, swatting off the little gnats or whatever they were off just about everything, including our bed covering, we called Sibu at the front desk to ask how we turn on the ceiling fan but forgot to ask about the air conditioning.  Sleeping was ok but it got pretty warm in the room (remember, our cabin on the ship is, if you ask Michael, just above freezing) but it really didn’t matter because we had a wake-up call at 5:30 a.m. to begin our second day and a morning game drive. 

Rising for the second day in a row at 5:30 is probably a first for us but we were anxious to get back in the Toyota for another game drive.  Once again, we all gathered in the morning in the lobby for a light snack and at 6 a.m. we were on the road again. 

I asked Kiegan about the weather and it is usually extremely hot during the day.  Unfortunately, there hadn’t been any rain for a few weeks and the area is definitely suffering from drought.  Again, while the temperature wasn’t too cool in the early morning, without windows anywhere, the wind chill factor made it colder than it really was.  A great distance away, Kiegan spotted a black rhino which I couldn’t see but he put the pedal to the metal and drove as fast as safety permitted, left and right and straight ahead until he actually took the vehicle off road, smashing down bushes trying to follow the rhino which we actually saw running up a hill.  Although Kiegan tried, his efforts were for naught and we just couldn’t find the animal. 

Again, communication among the drivers is constant and Kiegan got word of another sighting.  Heading as fast as he could, a white-knuckle ride enabled us to see a lioness and her four cubs walking in a ravine heading into the brush cover.  She wasn’t too thrilled to see us and probably more skittish than she would be but for the presence of her cubs.  Other vehicles parked nearby to get a glimpse of this mama and babies but she was pretty fast and the little ones stayed close to her. Kiegan apologized for the bumpy roads and fast driving but said that had we arrived just a few minutes later, we wouldn’t have seen her.  I think we all appreciated his efforts.  

More talking on the short-wave radio and we were off again, full speed ahead, to see something else!  Twists and turns in the road led us to a field where one lion was feasting on the remains of an oryx and another basking in the morning light.  Kiegan got as close as he could and other vehicles arrived.  Jackels were hanging around to get any morsels of the oryx the lion would leave behind.  These two guys weren’t going anywhere for the time being.  The female probably ate already and the male sitting on the mound as well.  He finally decided to get up and walk to the watering hole.  Kiegan drove around (knowing in which direction the lion would go) and, just like the elephant yesterday, he walked past our vehicle indifferent to our presence.  Had someone stood up in the vehicle, that would have been a whole different matter.  Even though their bellies were very round having already eaten, standing up in the vehicle would definitely pose a threat to the lions and trouble would follow immediately.  

We came to the watering hole and waited a few minutes for the lion who had been sitting on the mound to arrive.  We heard him “contact calling” -- he was looking for the female and the babies.  (They never appeared probably because we were present.)  It was absolutely stunning to watch him drink from the watering hole and after a few minutes, we heard the big guy who was eating arriving as well.  He was blind in his right eye and the pictures show a difference in that eye.  Eventually they both got tired from all that eating, walking and drinking and decided to take an early morning siesta.  

On the way back to the lodge, Kiegan stopped because he saw something a short distance away which turned out to be an ostrich egg and a tortoise on the side of the road.  I’m sure we saw more elephant, rhinos and giraffes and any number of antelope as we traveled back to the lodge for breakfast.  The “big five” always talked about are the leopard, lion, buffalo, rhino and elephant.  Michael and I both agreed that three out of five – including the two out of three cheetahs in the park – was more than enough!  What a spectacular visit to this amazing reserve.  

We were again greeted by Kingston with small cups of rooibos or red bush tea (I loved it so much I’ve since bought a few boxes to take home), a favorite of Precious Ramotswe, one of the wonderful characters in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series I mentioned before, together with those wonderfully refreshing towels to clean our faces and hands.  We were brought into breakfast where we were offered all sorts of delicious items for our morning meal.   I enjoyed a fresh berry smoothie as well as vanilla oats, honeyed apples, sun butter with toasted hazelnuts and fresh cream, together with a slice of freshly baked bread of some sort.  Absolutely delicious.  We said good-bye to Kiegan, who joined us for breakfast, and thanked him for a most spectacular time.  We went to our suites to clean up for our travels back to the ship.  We said good-bye to Sibu and Ladonna, given an incredible box lunch for our drive back which included a fruit cup, pita sandwich, peanut butter stick and iced tea, and met our new guide, Glen, and said hello, again, to our driver, Mongo.  It would be a long drive – 3 hours which turned into 4 back to East London – so we all got comfortable, buckled up and settled in for the drive.  

Our guide back to East London, Glen, was a member of the Xhosa tribe, as was Mongo.  What should’ve taken three hours, actually took four, because our driver couldn’t find the correct entrance to the port where our ship was docked.  Signage was terrible and he almost missed the correct entry had it not been for Tobi who spotted it.  During the trip back, Glen talked about South Africa and asked us to pray for the country – money wouldn’t help – only prayers.  He engaged in a lively conversation with one of the passengers about the traditions of his tribe and, quite honestly, I’ve spent plenty of time writing about the safari and don’t feel the need to talk about 18-year old circumcisions of both young men and women, cremations vs. burials, “white” vs. traditional weddings whether government sanctioned or not, acceptable adultery for men but not for women, bigamy, or clothing for men vs. women.  I’m sure if anyone is interested, the information is available online.

Back onboard the Pacific Princess, we unpacked our overnight bag, rested a bit, showered and got dressed for dinner and spent a quiet evening gathering our thoughts about the last 36 hours.  We could not have asked for a better safari adventure.  It truly was the highlight of our World Cruise 2019! 

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:   For a change, the morning started with really cool weather.  Turning to look at Leona, she actually looked cold.  I knew it was going to be a great trip.  You have to understand that the safari ranger is trying to catch the animals eating breakfast or having a drink at the watering hole.  We were fortunate to watch the male lion ripping apart the oryx, even gnawing on the hide.  I asked Kiegan, “do they eat everything?” and he said, “they eat everything, including the stomach, intestines, bones, and hide.”  After his morning meal, the next thing he did was head down to the watering hole and again I had my Disneyland surreal moment.  This male lion came so close to the vehicle that I had to fight off the temptation to touch his fur.  It may seem silly, but when you’re in such a unique environment, reasoning becomes difficult.  But, I fought back the urge and kept my hands inside the vehicle.  The other surprising thing was that there were no insects to bother us and, while a little cool, it was an amazing way to start the morning. 

As Kiegan drove down the trail and stopped the vehicle, we wondered if he had to take a bathroom break as he walked into the bush. But, being a ranger, his eyes spotted an ostrich egg.  He told us the egg was dead and I asked him if anything would eat it and he said nothing would eat that egg and, although he’d like to take it home, it would smell so bad that the odor would never leave his home.  He simply put it down where he found it.  It’s amazing that he could drive the vehicle on a trail at high speed and spot this egg about 100 yards away.  He really was an amazing guy.  

Back at the lodge, I enjoyed my first cup of coffee and I have to say it was one of the best I ever had.  It was really dark and strong followed by a wonderful breakfast of bacon and eggs.  There’s no question this lodge was first rate.