DEAN'S DIARY JULY / AUGUST 1998
Dear Friends
Spring is in the air.....yip, we are enjoying those wonderful days - lovely sunshine, not too hot, a bit of rain, wind to keep the air clean, and lots of babies and chicks popping up everywhere. Flowers are blossoming, the garden is green and oh, no - I have to cut the lawn again!
I have just returned from a 36-day safari so that is the main item that I have to report on. Other newsworthy items that I will mention are Dave and Bernies website, our crime situation, my camping safaris, my dogs, Bed & Breakfast guesthouses, self-drive safaris, the Lesotho situation and malaria. My brother says that my diary entries are very interesting but too long for him to read in his busy schedule and then I have lots of other friends and pst guests who read it and say how they enjoy it and even Joyce mentions she gets lots of ideas for her future holidays. Louise wants to travel to all the places she says they all sound so great, so she shall have to become my wife and co-driver! Carol, Ned, Rachel, Keriann and Spencer are dying to read what I have written about their 36-day safari, so there is something here for everyone.
Shortly after my last entry, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr and Mrs Staats - a lovely American couple who had completed an Elderhostel tour of South Africa and they even met President Nelson Mandela in The Houses of Parliament! I was employed by Tour d'Afrique as a freelance Tour Guide and drove them from Durban up to the Zulu Nyala Game Lodge - a private reserve in Zululand. Unfortunately they were making the film "I Dreamed of Africa", starring Kim Bassinger and Alec Baldwin, in the reserve, so there was a lot of disruption. None of us were informed and of course there were inconveniences incurred. Well, Marina and Zulu Nyala soon organised a few extras to please us all. Nobody, unfortunately met Kim, and with all the filming, I guess some of the animals had been frightened into the thicker bush! (The book is written by Kuki Gallman and is a recommended reading for any prospective visitor to Africa.) On our return trip two days later we stopped for lunch at a lovely seafood restaurant in Salt Rock and Gary Teichmann with his family and a colleague Spingbok rugby player arrived and sat at the table next to us. The waitress was very excited that our Springbok Rugby Captain was eating at her table!
The NAM summit, despite its possible future good long term effects on Durban, was a nuisance and personally I think a false impression was created for our visiting dignitaries. We had roads blocked off, escorted convoys with 6 or 7 times a day sirens screeching along the highway past my house between the hotels in Umhlanga Rocks and the ICC in Durban. The 50-odd heads of States and more than 115 countries that were represented created a lot of money for many businesses, but a lot of businesses also lost money. At least with the media coverage (mainly to the 3rd world countries), people should know that there is more to South Africa than just Johannesburg, Kruger Park and Cape Town! Durban is South Africa's premier holiday resort , especially amongst South Africans and Zimbabweans, and has so much to offer - within a couple of hours drive, you can visit great game reserves, rugged mountains, traditional and ethnic areas, classy and luxury resorts, great hiking areas, and many more and of course Durban has some of South Africa's best beaches and swimable all year round!!
Over the last two months we have had some feedback from a few couples that have been here and enjoyed their self-drive itineraries that we planned with them. Wendy and Dave Bentley started theirs in Cape Town. After a few days of sightseeing in and around our Mother City, they flew up to George, then caught the Steam Train to Knysna along the scenic Wilderness area. For the next few days, they hired a car and drove up to Port Elizabeth, exploring the Garden Route and then from PE they flew to Durban where Sandy met them. She was their hostess for that night in her delightful B&B, from where they hired another car and drove up to Umfolosi Game Reserve to enjoy the 3 day Wilderness Hiking Trail - which was no doubt the highlight of their trip. I mentioned in my last diary entry that it was raining during their hike, well apparently it did not effect them - I guess being 200kms away from Durban means the weather is not always the same! After Umfolosi they spent the next few nights in Hluhluwe-Umfolosi Game reserve and also in the Wetlands area of St Lucia before returning to Durban for their final night of their Honeymoon. Wendy and Dave left a short note of thanks and I quote: "Many thanks for this wonderful vacation. Dave & I will certainly be back - but in the meantime have lots of great memories to take back with us! " They are spending their married life in the UK.
Shortly after their return we had Ward and Julie Broughton, also on their Honeymoon. They arrived in Johannesburg and then drove themselves to Sun City, enjoying 4 nights of luxury in and around this wonderful entertainment centre with the adjoining Pilanesberg National Park and even being adventurous to have a Hot Air Balloon ride early the one morning. After returning to Johannesburg, they flew down to Cape Town and then spent a week enjoying the fairest Cape before returning to the UK as well. They e-mailed us a note of thanks; "Thanks very much for your help and advice with my Honeymoon. The balloon company were great.....Maybe next time we come back we'll do a proper safari with Dean and also visit Durban. I will definitely recommend you to others coming down that way. Thanks again for your excellent work and help."
Another happy couple were Pinta and Debbie. Pinta is a shipmate of my friend Kevin in the Royal Navy. They started their holiday in Johannesburg and drove to a unique mountain resort in the Drakensberg Mountains overlooking Royal Natal National Park. They then drove to Durban and stayed at Flamingo Lodge in Umhlanga Rocks - my regular B&B where most of my clients love staying. After a few days in Durban basking in the sun and enjoying the Durban hospitality, they drove to a Zulu cultural village and then spent a few days game viewing in Hluhluwe-Umfolosi Game reserve with many animal sightings. Leaving Zululand, they entered the Kingdom of Swaziland for one night before enjoying a night at a lovely B&B in Sabie followed by a few nights in Kruger National Park before driving to Sun City and a night of luxury in Pilanesberg National Park. After flying back to the UK, Pinta returned to his ship, so unfortunately I have not had any direct feedbck from him yet - but Kevin says " ... Many thanks for arranging the trip, they had a wonderful time and saw the Big 5, we are sailing for the Antartica ......" So another happy customer
Another happy traveller was Luisa, from Spain. She flew to Gabarone and then Maun, to join a safari by one of the companies that we work with. They went into Moremi and saw many different animals. After the few days in Moremi, she travelled on to Vic Falls for a few days before travelling via Bulawayo back to Gabarone. She forwarded a lovely gift via some other travellers that were on safari with her and live here in Durban and and from her e-mail that followed, she also had a great time and was grateful for our assistance.
We also had Helen and Andrew spend two nights in Cape Town prior to going on another safari, but as they are still travelling, I have not had any feedback from them yet - hopefully can tell you something about their travels in my next entry.
Now the big safari that you would have all heard about - not often one has a chance to take a family on a 36-day safari - let me give you a little bit of background story. In March this year, Carol filled in one of my enquiry forms and e-mailed it to me. Carol, like most people making enquiries via the Internet (which is where 85% of my guests come from,) had enquired with a dozen other Tour Operators and after ironing out the "too expensive" and "too rigid" itineraries from other Operators, Carol had decided to stick with African Bundu Safaris. [Good choice Carol!] We had discussed a number of routes and destinations and finally decided on one that would suit the interests of the whole family. By the end of May we had made bookings and deposits at the various lodges, camps and reserves and then Carol and family continued sailing on their yacht from Turkey to Spain. A good friend of theirs, Rachel, was to join them for the safari and so their group of 5 was made up.
On the 10 September I drove up to Johannesburg and met Rachel at the airport, departing with a bit of difficulty from their new undercover parking lot - I could not fit through their exit, so had to exit through the entrance! Anyway, Rachel and I drove to a family resort in the Magaliesberg for the night, eating in the restaurant and enjoying a great buffet and later breakfast, before returning to the airport the next morning to meet the Backus family. At the same time, I confirmed with SAA that Rachels lost suitcase would be delivered to our resort later that day - for some reason or other the New Yorkers had decided to look after it for the night! Departing from the airport, we stopped at the Voortrekker Monument, climbing the steps to the top, visiting the museum and enjoying lunch in the tea garden. From there we popped over to see Nelson Mandela at the Union Buildings, but he was busy debating in Cape Town! Arriving at the resort, the family set about quickly with all their mail that Rachel had brought across the Atlantic, from their home in Seattle, for them to read. Another great dinner and breakfast were enjoyed, and Rachel's bag was waiting for her when we arrived - well done SAA!
The next day, we departed from Pretoria and headed north in the cool misty and rainy weather, stopping at the Tropic of Capricorn for a couple of photos and then arriving at Tshipisie for the night - first night camping, so a quick lesson on tent pitching took place. (This family were quick learners and I heard even a week later comments like - "Dean said you must do it like this..." The only problem that they encountered in pitching their own tents was that they were all short, so attaching the top of the tent to the poles proved a challenge!) After breakfast we crossed the border at Beit Bridge and headed in a North Easterly direction through Zimbabwe to arrive at Lake Kyle View Resort for the night. This was after we spent an hour or two exploring the marvellous and mind-bogling Greater Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Ruins).
Departing from the campsite the next day, we stopped at a great curio stall at the entrance to the nearby hotel - an interesting and economical road-side stall - for an hour! It was a short drive to the town of Masvingo, where we stocked up with Zim $ and food, before continuing to Bulawayo, arriving at the campsite in time to eat lunch. That afternoon was laundry afternoon and relaxing. The next day we spent in the amazing Matopos National Park - visiting Cecil Rhodes gravesite and also a bit of game viewing, with having to pay to use a picnic site!! The following day we went to the very interesting museum in the morning and then to the nearby wildlife orphanage in the afternoon. The enclosures for the animals were small and we all felt sorry for the animals - which included rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, servals, baboons, monkeys, hyhenas, raptors, crocodiles, and many other smaller mammals and birds. It was very much like an overcrowded zoo, but one must choose - does the animal live in a small enclosure (and probably bored out of its wits) or try and survive in the wild injured or orphaned? Nature can be cruel, but I reckon man is crueller! The following day after some last minute shopping, we drove north to Hwange National Park - arriving at the Main Camp and pitching camp, followed by lunch. That afternoon we went for a sunset game drive, and then the next morning my 5 guests went on a guided walk with the Game Ranger, to a waterhole. During the heat of the day, we rested in the campsite and that afternoon we went on a longer game drive, enjoying the sunset at a waterhole with many other people. The following day we went out for the whole day, from sunrise to sunset, driving a fair distance and generally viewing the same animals that we had seen during the previous day - LOTS of elephants, sable, roan, zebra, giraffe, impala........
Departing from Hwange was followed by a short drive to Victoria Falls, our stay for the next few nights. We booked in to a nice family hotel and had lunch around the swimming pool, followed by an orientation drive around the town and then to the Falls themselves. I left everyone there and then went about making dinner bookings at the various restaurants. That night we were entertained to a great feast at the Jungle Junction - buffet with traditional dancing. Early the next morning Ned and Keriann went white-water rafting, Rachel and Spencer explored Vic Falls on foot also visiting the Zambian side, Carol spent the day in bed not feeling well and also missed out on her rafting, and I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with "slightly positive with malaria". By that night I was slowly feeling better and Carol had virtually recovered. The next day Carol and Rachel went rafting, Ned and the kids went curio hunting and also visited Livingstone (in Zambia), I did the laundry and recovered quite well and then that night we all had a great nights entertainment and feast at The Boma Eating Place - HIGHLY recommended.
Final shopping the next day and we left for Botswana - more specifically, through Kasane and Chobe National Park, to our campsite. We rested that hot afternoon and it was the following day that we enjoyed a full day of game viewing, coming across a pride of lions, plus elephants, hippos, monkeys, banded mongeese, zebra......we returned at sunset to our camp!
Heading south from our campsite, we soon encountered soft sand and stopped to deflate my tyres - and then I noticed the handle for the hi-lift jack had fallen off. We unhooked the trailer and Spencer and I returned along the road to find it buried in the soft sand with about 15 cms of it sticking out! We had also by now engaged 4x4 mode and bumped along the soft sand road/track for a few hours, arriving at our Savuti campsite by midday. Boy, the temperature was now climbing. Even in the shade it was hot, but by now I was acclimatized to the family and Rachel playing cards (Shanghai) and reading from a Hornblower novel to pass the time during the heat of the day. That evening we went for a short drive to the nearby waterhole and also to the showers, which were a kilometre away! Before breakfast the following day we drove to some nearby hills to view the Bushmen paintings and obviously the wildlife in the area as well. At midday we heard lion roars and drove around in search for these mating calls - no luck - well, that night we found out why. When the ladies went to the toilet, which some South African people had set up camp next to, one of the ladies had just sat down when from 5 metres away came this tremendous Lion roar - well, you can imagine the thoughts going through their minds, and the comments! This was followed shortly by another roar and then a huge amount of laughter - from the South Africans who were crowded around the tape deck in their 4x4 !!!! I must not forget to mention that we had a camp elephant who seemed to take control of the only tap in the campsite - if he was there, we had to wait until we could get water from the tap!
We enjoyed our breakfast and then departed along the "Marsh Road" to Northgate campsite in Moremi Game reserve. Baboons and monkeys were also resident in this camp and distructive and like Chobe Park, the rangers were trying to frighten them off, by chasing them or killing them. (Obviously the problem started by tourists feeding them - DON'T FEED WILD ANIMALS - YOU WILL BRING THEIR DEATH SENTENCE EARLIER !! We enjoyed a lovely late afternoon game drive, viewing hippos and crocodiles from a relatively close range as well as many antelope, elephants and even jackal. The next morning we had our encouters with the monkeys and baboons - one baboon urinated on the one tent from his tree he had slept in, a monkey stole the Corn Flakes and another some biscuits! After breakfast we departed, popping in to Xakanaka campsite where baboons had destroyed an un-occupied tented campsite!
On our drive to the South Gate we drove along a track which wound its way through the bushes, pans, and grasslands and whilst Spencer was taking a drink from his waterbottle he spotted a great male Lion lying next to an anthill - well spotted Spencer, who I must mention always "had a better idea"! The drive from South Gate to Maun was relatively unspectacular. We camped our first night at Island Safari Lodge - which as normal was relatively crowded with overlander trucks and also a Afrikaans School Tour. The water in the taps and showers was disgusting - it stank of sulphur, apparently normal once the Delta water starts receeding. The following day was spent washing clothes in this disgusting water, as there were no laundry facilities in the town - only two dry-cleaning shops! That night Ned treated us all to a bed in the chalets, instead of camping - nice to have a good bed! I treated everyone to a pub-dinner. The next morning after breakfast, we locked up our trailer and 4x4 and then boarded the ISL 4x4's with our equipment and luggage for our Delta Excursion. After 2 hours bumping along the sand tracks, we arrived at the mukoro village, on the Boro river, met our polers and guide (Master) and then set off into the mystical waterways of the Okavango Delta.
We sat or lay back in our Mukoros as we were poled silently through the reeds, waterways and islands to a remote campsite. It was Masters preferred campsite and after being shown other choices over the next couple of days - it was the best. The polers consisted of 3 other men and one lady - ladies have only recently been allowed to join the men in poling the mukoro's. The one poler lost his balance a couple of times and fell into the water, but luckily never got any of our luggage wet. The mukoro trip took about 3 hours to get to our campsite and after setting up camp, we relaxed until the temperature had dropped and at about 4.30pm, we went on a short game walk - great fun and excitment walking amongst the real wild animals. That night we heard hippo grunting nearby and also elephant trumpeting.
Early the following morning we went for a 3 hour game walk, followed by the remainder of the day resting, relaxing, reading, playing cards, swimming until the late afternoon when it had cooled off again. The midday temperature porbably reached the middle to upper thirties (Celcius) and all the animals rest in the shade of the trees then, so are difficult to spot.
That night shortly before dinner, one of the polers called us to come and watch the buffalo - Buffalo - yeh right, watching buffalo at nightime - well, he convinced us to follow him, about 20 metres out of our campsite, which was situated under some trees, and sure enough, with the full moon, covering the entire horizon for a full 20minutes and about 70 metres away we witnessed approximately 1000 buffalo walking in an easterly direction and cross the river - what a sensation - the ground vibrated and we could hear their grunts, groans and bellowing - boy, that was so exciting. The moon was so bright we could even watch them through binoculars!
Alas, all good things come to an end - so after 3 nights on the Delta and after a three hour poling trip, we returned to the mukoro village, but unfortunately the poler who had lost his balance earlier had been acting strangely during our stay and complained of headaches - communications was a bit of a problem and the other polers just said he was crazy, especially when the previous morning he had gone off to look for the buffalo - well, we found him on an island and woke him up a good 6 hours later! (Luckily we found him before sundown when a lion or hyhena would surely have found him!!!) We diagnosed malaria and organised for him to be transported to the hospital in Maun, where proper medical care will hopefully have taken care of him.
Arriving back in Maun, there was a botch-up at ISL with our accommodation booking, so we then went to Crocodile Camp instead - much better and a good choice - lovely swimming pool, friendlier service, super chalets, drinkable water.....guess who I would recommend in future? Thanks to Rachel for treating us to a great nights sleep! We had a delicious dinner and breakfast and after doing a bit of shopping in Maun, we departed for Nata Lodge and their campsite. After lunch, swimming and writing postcards, we visited the nearby Nata Sanctuary and drove out onto Sowa Pan to enjoy sunset and moonrise. We returned to the Lodge for our dinner and nights sleep. The following day we headed south to Francistown, did some shopping, continued across the border into South Africa, had lunch and then drove on to Magoebaskloof Lodge, near Tzaneen. A beautiful and fertile area in the northern end of the Drakensberg mountains. We really enjoyed a great dinner, bed and hot showers.
We were actually scheduled to go to the Pilanesberg Nationals Park, but Carol and Rachel had requested a change to Kruger National Park, and that was why we were heading this way. So the next two nights we camped at Satara campsite and enjoyed the daytime game viewing - in fact within an hour of our first early morning game drive, we had spotted 4 of the Big 5 - we enjoyed great game viewing in Kruger Park. My guests also went on a Night Drive the one night. From Kruger we enjoyed great hospitality at the Moholoholo Forest Lodge. The lodge rooms were great, the meals fantastic and the animal rehabilitation centre was really educational and very interesting. What a great place to stay!
The next day saw us driving through tunnels, up mountain passes and through truely scenic areas as we visited the Blyde River Canyon, Three Rondavels, Bourkes Luck Potholes, God's Window - all on this misty day. (The visibility at Gods Window was about 15 metres!) We arrived at Graskop Chalets and explored the curios shops that afternoon before enjoying a misty braai for dinner. (Ned won his first round of Shanghai this evening!)
The next day we visited Mac-Mac falls as we headed towards Nelspruit and then entered the Kingdom of Swaziland. I must mention that a lot of people are under the impression that Swaziland is part of South Africa - NO, it is and always has been on its own. It has in fact just had its elections. It also has a King. Everyone needs passports to visit Swaziland. Well, we stopped at the Mbabane craft market for an hour before continuing to the southern end of Swaziland and arriving back in South Africa and continuing onto
Emdoneni Lodge for the next two nights.
We were treated to a great dinner that night in the Lapa and early the next morning we departed for Hluhluwe Game Reserve (which I have mentioned in previous diary entries is Africa's oldest Game reserve). After 2 hours of game viewing, the major objective to see the famous Rhino, we had a splash-up feast of a breakfast at Hilltop camps restaurant and then drove to the Thiyeni hide for an hour and then returning to Emdoneni to relax for the remainder of the afternoon. That night we drove along the very muddy road to the Dumazulu Cultural Village for dinner and after another good nights sleep, we enjoyed a great breakfast at Emdoneni's restaurant before heading south to Richards Bay. Rachel had sailed with another yacht, which had made Richards Bay their home for a year or so, so we went out for an extended lunch. Al and Cathy had also known the Backus family from having met them in some port, sometime ago. When we returned to my vehicle there was a traffic ticket fine waiting for me - for my trailer. Some idiotic cop had come into a parking lot, where there were 1000 other cars and he fined me R200 as he could not see my licence disk which was partly covered with mud! Boy oh boy - the Richards Bay traffic department are going to be having a 'friendly' letter from me, along with photos and their ticket back!
That night we slept in an old colonial farmhouse, actually a newly converted B&B about 10 kms from Richards Bay itself. Al and Cathy treated us to a braai that night at the Yacht Club, which was actually hosted by the Lions International of Richards Bay, as a project for the International Yachties. There were lots of these international travellers and I learnt that they prefer R.Bay to Durban as the facilities are easier and better and more friendlier for yachting folks. The next morning after breakfast, as we were about to pack, I noticed that my trailer wheel bearing had broken! (Why had that idiotic cop not noticed it - obvious, he was an unobservant idiot!) I phoned the AA and half an hour later the mechanic arrived and replaced it for me! During this period the farmer took Rachel and the family on a quick tour of his sugar-cane farm.
Wheel bearing fixed - we continued to Durban, in fact to my favourite B&B in Umhlanga Rocks, where they enjoyed the following 3 nights. During the day, the weather was lousy - either windy or rainy - so they went to the movies, parcelled some curios back home, went shopping, visited the Sharks Board, went out with some yachting friends and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Finally Friday arrived - and we went to a Turkish restaurant for delicious lunch and then to a yachting shop for some charts and books and finally to the airport where Carol, Ned, Keriann and Spencer bid Rachel and I farewell for their return flight to Spain and their yacht - Plain Jane. The end of a great safari with an amazing family.
Rachel had decided to stay on in Durban until Tuesday am, when I took her to the bus station for her lovely scenic ride to Port Elizabeth through the beautiful Transkei. She spent the next 3 nights in Port Elizabeth and then continued to Cape Town, which is where she is as I write this diary. She will shortly be departing for Namibia for an exciting safari through the Namib desert, to Swakopmund, Etosha and back to Windhoek, prior to returning to her home town of Seattle and her yacht.
On the Saturday, I was back at the airport to meet Benny and Bente, who had spent the last week in Cape Town and travelling up the Garden Route. I had organised their Cape Town stay and from all reports they really enjoyed their B&B guesthouse, the tours and their drive up the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth. You might recall that in March this year I had a Danish teacher, Lisbeth, with me on a Zululand safari - well, Benny and Bente were colleagues of Lisbeth and were celebrating 25 years with their education department in Denmark. After a couple of days in Durban, based at my favourite B&B in Umhlanga Rocks, and having dinner with their friend Presheen, I departed with them on the Tuesday, for Zululand. We first stopped at Shakaland for the midday tour around this Zulu cultural village, followed by some exciting dancing and a great lunch. We then drove down to the nearby dam, where we were met and driving across the dam in a pontoon or large skiff to our floating chalet. After a short swim we boarded our own little skiff with its 5hp motor and set about exploring the shores. We spotted a wide variety of birds and met the manager on his little motorboat - then we heard about the crocodile near to our floating chalet, where we had just been swimming!! We deviated to the restaurant to meet the rest of the staff and also to actually locate it, returning back to our chalet for a shower. Unfortunately, the gas had run out and so we endured a cold shower each. Well, at 7pm, the sun was history, the stars were twinkling and the wind was picking up - we set off in our skiff for the 15 minute ride to the restaurant - quite exciting driving a boat in darkness with only the glow of the stars to light your way. Anway, we had a great 3-course dinner and Garth had in the meantime returned to our chalet to replace the empty gas cylinder, reporting that the wind had shifted our chalet quite a bit - i.e. the anchor had dragged. None-the-less we decided to return to the chalet for the night, except this time, the stars had disappeared behind the clouds, and so now all I had was the slight silhoutted reflection of the shoreline to guide us back - we made it back and discovered that the anchor had dragged quite a lot and the chalet was hitting the cliff-face and trees fairly often. It was too far and windy and dark to go back and ask for another chalet, so we decided to remain their for the night - well, I never slept a wink - always banging on the rocks etc - Benny slept through most of the noise and bumping and Bente managed an hour or two of sleep! After leaving the chalet at 5am, we motored across the dam in search of the nesting Bald Ibis - we found Hadeda, Fish Eagle, Pied Kingfisher, Weavers, Swallows and Yellow-billed Kites, but no Ibis's - maybe next time! We returned to the restaurant for breakfast and then were dropped off at our car, which was on the other side of the dam wall.
Melmoth was our next stop for petrol and bit of shopping, and then we drove to Ulundi and to the Cengeni Gate of Umfolosi for a day of game viewing. We had a great day - Rhino, buffalo, impala, warthog, giraffe,..........all in large quantities. We departed in the mid afternoon, arriving at Emdoneni just in time for Ian to feed the serval cats and cheetah, that he is trying to breed there. That night we had a braai and slept well! An early rise saw us arriving at Hluhluwe Game Reserve as the first car to enter and we enjoyed a good 2 hours game viewing before arriving at Hilltop for a great breakfast, followed by a full day of game viewing and a couple of hours at a great waterhole. That nights dinner was a splendid and tasty 3-course dinner and after another good nights sleep, we enjoyed breakfast followed by a short drive to St Lucia estuary. We then boarded a new launch boat for an interesting and informative 2 hour cruise learning and see all about the mangroves, birds, ecology, hippos and crocodiles. I have done the Parks Board cruise before, but this private company is really 200% better, with a knowledgable and well-spoken Guide. We left St Lucia and headed south to Richards Bay for a tasty lunch, then back to Durban to the airport, to bid fairwell for Benny and Bente's flight back to Denmark. I have just received an e-mail from them - they have left a message in my Guestbook, which you can find from visiting my Tripod website - but I have every belief that they will be returning in the not too distant future, probably with some friends, for another safari.
My local chemist - Broadway Pharmacy, has had a super special offer on recently - develop and print a film with them and get your negatives scanned onto a disk - well, that is nice, but to top it all, the disk also has this slide show programme on it, so now I have a great idea of using one of my Tripod websites to create a slide show of some of the destinations - what do you think? Is it possible - I am not computer genius, in fact I am pretty useless when it comes to thinking of those things, so if anyone knows how I can possibly do it - all that HTML stuff etc - please help me out.
Being a Satour Tour Guide means I have been presented with a lovely 1999 calendar - if any of you are within shouting distance of a Satour office in your country, I highly recommend you try and buy/get one - they have some super photos in them and make a great desk calendar, week by week - so over 52 photos! Thanks to Satour Head Office for the great calendar!!
Our President I feel has made a mistake recently - we have had a 'brain-drain' from SA, with officially 10 000 people emigrating from our shores a year, since the '94 elections - well Madiba stated on TV that it is "good ridance to them, let them go" - just a few months ago he was saying that our qualified people should stay in the country as we need them to rebuild the nation after the apartheid era. Both my doctor and dentist have left the country, plus many friends as they feel that the political situation does not suit them and they have no confidence in the governments leadership and ability to deal with our day-to-day problems - what a pity all the good people are going, it only leaves the less experienced people to sort out the country!
We have such a beautiful country, with so many attractions and many good people, yet it takes a couple of bad apples to ruin it for everyone. If only the bad apples could be sprayed with a good cleansing fertiziler.
We constantly are told by our media that we have a crime problem here in SA, well, thankfully it has not really affected my lifestyle yet, and I take as many precautions as possible, but yes we do have muggings, hijackings, murders and theft, but I believe that we are not isolated - listening to many of my clients talking, it seems as though our countrys problems are found in many countries around the world.
Future guests of mine, from the USA or Canada, please contact me BEFORE you purchase your international air tickets, I have a contact in the USA who can offer you discounted airfares with SAA, but only if you are a client of mine. I also still offer a good tariff for car hire, for those travellers who want to travel on their own. All my rented cars are less than a year old and so in good condition. We also plan your self-drive itinaries and are able to do all your bookings for you, plus have credit card facilities available. All this is part of the great service we provide.
For the future - I have a safari planned for mid-november, with Bradley and his friends. Brad is one of my past Scouts, now 20 years old and we have decided to use the same itinerary as Benny and Bente's trip. I will also be housesitting for most of November at a friends house whilst they go and visit family and friends in the UK and Europe. I have a lot of enquiries for long safaris from May to September next year and a lot of the dates clash with each other. I have told everyone that they must 'book me' quickly - as I take the first deposit as the confirmed trip. Too many people spend days, if not weeks surfing the 'Net trying to get 10 or 20 itinearies and prices from different Tour Operators - well, if you snooze, you loose. As much as I would like to take everyone personally on a safari, it is obviously not possible, so choose me and stick with me, rather than surfing around. First impressions count, so if you are happy with our beginning, then you should be even happier with your safari. If I can not personally take you on a safari, then depending on what type of safari you want and to which destinations, I will utilise colleagues for you - but remember, nobody is the same as me, or anybody else - we each have our own characters and skills - if you read my Guestbook or contact any of my past clients, you will learn what my safaris are like.
One such couple which you can contact for a referral is Dave and Bernie. They have created a website of their Honeymoon safari. They have not completed it all yet, but what they have done so far is absolutely great - visit their site and see for yourself. Over the next few months, as their time becomes more available from their work, they will continue to complete it, so bookmark their site for later visits.
I mentioned at the beginning of my diary entry that I was going to discuss my camping safaris - well briefly, these are the most economical option of accommodation and the big advantage is that normally there are always campsite available, whereas chalets/rooms are often full, especially if I have short notice. I supply the tents, stretchers with mattress, all cooking and eating utensils. So basically all you need bring is a sleeping bag and your own clothing and toiletries. I am actually having 4 tents constructed at the moment, as my nylon tents cannot handle the continuous use that a safari demands - I spend too much money repairing tents, so the new canvas ones are heavier, but should be stronger. You will be able to stand in the three windowed tents, the door can stay open in the rain, the mosquito nets are stronger than the previous tents and there is also a roof vent to allow the hot air to escape. The tents are big enought to accommodate 2 stretchers, plus luggage. I am now also having a new axle being fitted to the luggage trailer, with brakes. This will assist with the heavier load, especially down the many mountain passes that we encounter on a safari.
Didi is still fine - give me so many 'kisses' when I return from a safari, and still loves me throwing her tennis ball for her. Abby, I am afraid is not in a good condition. Her back legs are giving her major problems and she is now in pain, so we shall be taking her to the Vet, but I am expecting the worse. Rottweilers I know do have problems with legs and hips, but hers are really getting bad and she is only 10 months old.
I remember mentioning last time that one of my guests on the Namibian safari fell ill from the side effects of Larium - a malaria propholatic, well Carols illness in Vic Falls was also diagnosed as a side effect of Larium and some of the family were dreaming about flying elephants and all sorts of other wierd events. IF POSSIBLE, DO NOT TAKE LARIUM, unless you have no alternative. If your safari is a short one, and you come from a developed country, and your doctor knows something about malaria or can treat it, personally I would not recommend taking anything, apart from insect repellant sprays or lotions and covering yourself up in the evenings and early mornings. The medications actually hide the symptoms and a normal doctor will mis-diagnose your illness, unless you tell him you have come from a malaria area. If your safari is a long one and into a remote area, then I take a combination of Paludrine and Nivaquine - no side effects on 98% of people who take those.
Lesotho is another totally independant country, like Swaziland. They have never been part of South Africa - they have a Government, that are elected by the people, and the problem that they have (and it has often surfaced in the past) is the police and the army do not always agree with each other. The opposition party also claims that the recent elections were rigged and fraudulent. Well, the majority of the Southern African countries have formed a co-operation with each other - if the one country is in trouble, then the other countries will step in and assist together. So when the police and army of the Lesotho people starting shooting each other, the South African and Botswana armies entered to try and sort out the peace, well, they met with more opposition than they expected and quite a few of our soldiers were killed. Very sad - trying to help out other people and that's what happens - politics is a dirty game!!
On the 5th December I have organised for the local Scouts and Guides to enjoy the annual Night Hike. This is an all-night affair with over a hundred teenagers taking place, when they hike from 7pm until 6 am, through the canefields and across open land, a short drive north of Durban. I have planned the route and now it is up to the parents and Scouters to get involved in planning their bases and running the hike. A week later the Cedarberg Scout Adventure is to be held in the Cape Mountains, and if I am not on safari with anyone, then I shall assist there as well - it will be my 7th adventure to attend. I made a video of the last Adventure and many copies were sold.
Well, this ends my September and October entry, sorry if it was so long, but I guess the November one will be a lot shorter. I trust you found it interesting and I would love to hear your comments. If this is your first time of reading my diary, then read my previous entries - some useful information will be found there.
That's all for now folks
Cheers
Dean
Manager - African Bundu Safaris cc.
Click here to view the previous edition of Dean's Diary
