Amakhala - Day 2 - morning
Apr. 17th, 2007 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
emmelinemayWe set off at 7am to drive to Addo Elephant Park. The drive took about an hour, and it was absolutely FREEZING. We were all wrapped up with all of our clothes, blankets, and hot water bottles. By the time we got there, the sun had properly come up, and we had to remove almost all of our clothes, as we were boiling! It's autumn/winter here at the moment. When the sun is up here, it's HOT. as soon as it goes, boom - it's freezing!
While waiting for the jeep, i point out that i still haven't seen a single monkey. Kulani points out where the trees are moving in a certain way, that means there are monkeys in there. This doesn't mollify me whatsoever - evidence of monkeys isn't actually monkeys, in my opinion.
We arrived at about half 8, and had a picnic breakfast, where i fist discover mum's favourite cereal - Jungle Crunch. I am now obsessed with it and want to bring back loads. It will most likely put me over my luggage weight limit...
Breakfast done with, we head into the park, passing a sign warning us that 'Dung beetles have right of way' and that we must not drive over them, or over any elephant dung.
So Addo Elephant park had lots of warthogs, some lions, zebra, and reputedly over 450 elephants. Although we actually failed to see any elephants for several hours, despite our guide doing his very best to spot them. It began to seem likely that we would leave Addo Elephant Park having failed to see any elephants at all.
We saw LOADS of warthogs though - and suggested they change the name to Addo Warthog Park...
I think warthogs are adorable simply because they are SO ugly. Lookit the little warthog baby!! when warthogs run, their tail sticks right up, and looks just like a radio antenna, which means Warthogs are sometimes called the 'bush radio' :) They bend onto their front knees when they eat, which is so cute.
We see a variety of antelope, and even see some elphants in the far off distance, and get a good look at a dung beetle!
Dung beetles are fascinating - they can push many many many times their own weight - proportionally they are one of the strongest creatures in the world! they push the dung with their back legs, and protect their eggs by keeping them inside the dung. I discover that my beetle-fear goes away when the beetle is a - fascinating and b - about the size of a hamster.
Suddenly, just as we are trying to resign ourselves to seeing any elephants, our guide Kulani spots something in the distance that none of us can see, and does a quick about turn and heads off at breakneck speed! He doesn't even stop to let us look at the monkeys by the roadside -so this is my only photo of monkeys:
None of us can see what has got Kulani so excited, as we can see nothing ahead of us. Then suddenly, we turn a corner, and... ELEPHANTS! THAAAAASANDS OF 'EM!
There were about 60 of them dotted about, with a whole bunch around the waterhole.
We discovered that elephants really do never forget, and they really do remember people, and certain types of transport. One guy who used to bring them oranges can't come back any more, as they remember him as the man that brought oranges, and they chase him to get them! Citrus fruits are like crack to elephants, they had so much trouble with stampeding elephants over the citrus fruits, no one is allowed to bring them in any more!
I learnt that elephants have ENORMOUS willys - and they are prehensile too- they can scratch their own stomachs with them.
We also found truth in the oft' repeated rumour that elephants can hide behind trees.
This tree has an elephant behind it. Seriously!
See its trunk peeping out on the left hand side?
Out he comes!
As he's actually BIGGER than the tree, we can only assume that elephants are the Ninjas of Africa, Masters of Camouflage.
We now have to head back to Amakhala, as finding the elephants took us some time to find and we're running late.
We arrive back with about 3 hours for lunch, and to explore our rooms. It's rather annoying that they give you these stunningly beautiful rooms, and arrange your days there so that you have relatively little time to enjoy them!!
Here are some photos or out private lodge hut thing:
Look at the view you get when you have a bath!
The outdoor shower!
The lounge, we didn't use once.
The toilet. I reckon it looks like a 4a...
The view from the bed. See my feet?
Me, enjoying Jane Austen by the plunge pool!
The three hours went past so fast, we barely had time to enjoy the hut at all. We had to gather up our stuff for the afternoon game drive in Amakhala...
full photo gallery so far
While waiting for the jeep, i point out that i still haven't seen a single monkey. Kulani points out where the trees are moving in a certain way, that means there are monkeys in there. This doesn't mollify me whatsoever - evidence of monkeys isn't actually monkeys, in my opinion.
We arrived at about half 8, and had a picnic breakfast, where i fist discover mum's favourite cereal - Jungle Crunch. I am now obsessed with it and want to bring back loads. It will most likely put me over my luggage weight limit...
Breakfast done with, we head into the park, passing a sign warning us that 'Dung beetles have right of way' and that we must not drive over them, or over any elephant dung.
So Addo Elephant park had lots of warthogs, some lions, zebra, and reputedly over 450 elephants. Although we actually failed to see any elephants for several hours, despite our guide doing his very best to spot them. It began to seem likely that we would leave Addo Elephant Park having failed to see any elephants at all.
We saw LOADS of warthogs though - and suggested they change the name to Addo Warthog Park...
I think warthogs are adorable simply because they are SO ugly. Lookit the little warthog baby!! when warthogs run, their tail sticks right up, and looks just like a radio antenna, which means Warthogs are sometimes called the 'bush radio' :) They bend onto their front knees when they eat, which is so cute.
We see a variety of antelope, and even see some elphants in the far off distance, and get a good look at a dung beetle!
Dung beetles are fascinating - they can push many many many times their own weight - proportionally they are one of the strongest creatures in the world! they push the dung with their back legs, and protect their eggs by keeping them inside the dung. I discover that my beetle-fear goes away when the beetle is a - fascinating and b - about the size of a hamster.
Suddenly, just as we are trying to resign ourselves to seeing any elephants, our guide Kulani spots something in the distance that none of us can see, and does a quick about turn and heads off at breakneck speed! He doesn't even stop to let us look at the monkeys by the roadside -so this is my only photo of monkeys:
None of us can see what has got Kulani so excited, as we can see nothing ahead of us. Then suddenly, we turn a corner, and... ELEPHANTS! THAAAAASANDS OF 'EM!
There were about 60 of them dotted about, with a whole bunch around the waterhole.
We discovered that elephants really do never forget, and they really do remember people, and certain types of transport. One guy who used to bring them oranges can't come back any more, as they remember him as the man that brought oranges, and they chase him to get them! Citrus fruits are like crack to elephants, they had so much trouble with stampeding elephants over the citrus fruits, no one is allowed to bring them in any more!
I learnt that elephants have ENORMOUS willys - and they are prehensile too- they can scratch their own stomachs with them.
We also found truth in the oft' repeated rumour that elephants can hide behind trees.
This tree has an elephant behind it. Seriously!
See its trunk peeping out on the left hand side?
Out he comes!
As he's actually BIGGER than the tree, we can only assume that elephants are the Ninjas of Africa, Masters of Camouflage.
We now have to head back to Amakhala, as finding the elephants took us some time to find and we're running late.
We arrive back with about 3 hours for lunch, and to explore our rooms. It's rather annoying that they give you these stunningly beautiful rooms, and arrange your days there so that you have relatively little time to enjoy them!!
Here are some photos or out private lodge hut thing:
Look at the view you get when you have a bath!
The outdoor shower!
The lounge, we didn't use once.
The toilet. I reckon it looks like a 4a...
The view from the bed. See my feet?
Me, enjoying Jane Austen by the plunge pool!
The three hours went past so fast, we barely had time to enjoy the hut at all. We had to gather up our stuff for the afternoon game drive in Amakhala...
full photo gallery so far
