The quote above is an approximation of something our guide, Henk, said, when asked if they ever intervened in the lives of the animals. Essentially the answer was no. They are wild and nature takes is course. Otherwise it would be zoo. Good to hear, I don't like zoos.
Is it really only 24 hours since I was in Jozi (trendy name for Johannesburg - took me while)? We have flown to Gqeberha (new African name for Port Elizabeth - a name I am never going to be able to pronounce as it starts with a click), for our venture into the bush. We are at a lodge in a game reserve, the name of which I will omit, for reasons that will become clear in my next blog. And it has already been a momentous 12 hours. A drive from PE airport into increasingly wild bush country and arrival at our "lodge" in time for sundowners and dinner. In the most amazing setting. This is my view as I type this.
So this is my new desk in my new office!
This is "glamping" - very definitely at the luxury end of the meaning.
Room with a view!
Early start this morning - up at 6am with the sunrise for an essential coffee before our game drive at 7am. This being a private game reserve, the volume of animals is considerably lower than the major national parks. But that is more than compensated for by the lack of tourist jeeps chasing them. We may have seen fewer animals but in most cases where we did so, it was in glorious isolation, with nobody else even in view. Compared, for example, with Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania, where there are undoubtedly many more animals, there are also many, many more tourists! This is us with our guide, Henk. Yes, it was a bit chilly at 7am! But yes, of course, I am the only idiot in shorts!
Despite Elisa imploring me not to post this, she knows full well, I'm really not that sort of friend 😂 ❤️. And I didn't take it, Nareesa did. She is no more loyal than me!
Even on our first game drive (of a possible 5), we saw, in no particular order: lion; elephant; zebra; giraffe; warthog; kudu; eland; hartebeest. And a caracal, although nobody but me saw that - not even Henk. Aren't the giraffe cute!
Eland (or were they kudu?) Got a much better one with long lens. But see below!
What a fabulous way to bring up an appetite for breakfast, with the added bonus of having waited the requisite 14 hours since stuffing yourself at dinner!
Sadly like a berk, I have forgotten to bring any method of getting pictures from my camera to my laptop. So it was well worth that massive new 400mm lens then! So unless I sort that out, my award winning pictures will remain unseen by the millions (😂) of you out there. Shame.
Time to stop jabbering. Here are some of the pics taken on iPhones by Nareesa and Elisa (actually not sure I've done any better with my fancy dan equipment - bloody phones!). Elephant courtesy of Elisa.
Rather funky giraffe against the skyline, courtesy of Nareesa.
Elisa again. That's close enough!
So just before I go for today, I just need to share the amazing meal we had on our last night in Jozi. Firstly all hail Chef Ebie of the Pot Luck Club, which sounds less impressive than it actually is.
What can I say about the meal? How about wow! Double wow!
I could have left it that, to be honest. We had attempted to eat at the Pot Luck Club on our night of arrival, but it was full booked. On a Wednesday night - seemed like good sign so we reserved the best table they had for Friday night. Their last table as it turned out.
Right next to our hotel in Oxford Corner, it meant only a short stroll in sandals. This is my sort of night out! And have you seen the size of those wine glasses. Bottle each!
It turned out to be one of those eating experiences you don’t get very often. And, to us fortunate visitors, at South African prices. For anyone reading this rambling from Hove or Brighton, you will know of Isaacs, or Etch, or perhaps the Little Fish Market. In which case you will know the quality of their food. This, in the humble opinion (ok, I’m not often humble) of this writer, surpassed it. It was simply mouthwatering and each dish seemed to be designed to outdo the previous one. Even the home made bread with home made butter and kuzu oil infusion, was wonderful. Followed by, in no particular order (as it was a kind of tapas approach):
Cape Malay Squid, Atchar, Buttermilk Dressing, Apricot & Curry Leaf Salad;
Peri Peri Chicken, Ajo Blanco, Kale & Pepper Salad, Braai Vinaigrette;
Line Fish Tuna Sashimi, Mandarin-Coconut Nam Pla, Meebos Relish.
Can't remember which one this is. But man, it tasted good!
And that’s just 3 of the dishes. We had eight! They had actually recommended 3 or 4 per person! Glad we didn’t! Stuffed and with two bottles of excellent Pinotage and a mocktail the bill still came in at little over £30 per person!
Not sure how much there will be to say about this place, over the next couple of days. But there will be pictures. We will see many more wild animals, we will doubtless eat more fabulous food and drink too much wonderful wine. So there might be few words over the next few days, but hopefully some pictures - that will be a relief. And I'm told I should see a rhinoceros or two, which, despite about half a dozen previous safaris, I have never seen. So you are not off the hook yet. I might wax lyrically, or otherwise, about that
Bye for now. And not a political comment in sight! You'd be hard pushed not to lighten up round here!
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