Elephants galore

In taking my friends to Pilanesberg, I was hoping that we'd get to see at least some of the big and impressive animals--rhinos, elephants, hippos--and maybe even lions, though I wasn't counting on that last sighting. By lunchtime, we'd seen plenty of zebra and giraffe, some warthogs hilariously squelching in the mud, and numerous kudu, impala, springbok, and waterbok. No elephants, no rhinos, no lions. And hippos only from afar. (Were those hippos or large rocks? Can we be sure?) Anne and Karen were really excited about all they'd seen so far in the day, but I was really really hoping for some elephants in the afternoon. So was Anne. We got our wish. On two separate occasions, we rounded a curve to find elephants RIGHT THERE. Here's our first encounter:

Elephant family from the rear. These guys were all just hanging out, snacking off the trees and blocking the road. We waited patiently for them to move on before driving forward, giving them a wide berth since there was a momma and babies. And since elephants are pretty wide anyway...


Following the road after the elephants moved on a bit:


Bye, elephant family. This nice peaceful picture was taken before a van overtook us and pulled up RIGHT NEXT to the momma elephant. Not smart. She bellowed at them, stretched out her trunk towards the van, and stomped her feet. Aaaa! Fortunately the elephant was more cool-headed than the camera-happy tourists and the animals moved on without incident. We lost no time in getting away from the provoking van. Especially since our car was half the size of the elephant...


Our second elephant encounter came at the end of the day. We headed for one last hide, hoping to see some animals at a watering hole just before sunset. We got there and found that the turnoff/parking area was blocked by two large elephants. So much for visiting the hide...the elephants certainly took precedence. I love this shot of me taking pictures of the elephants:

Pilanesberg

I took Anne and Karen to Pilanesberg Game Reserve for the day and got to play the role of guide on this my third trip there. I drove us around the game park in our tiny rented VW Chico and there were several times that we all were a little (or a lot) frightened that it (and we) would get trampled by elephants. It didn't.

Here are some highlights from the day...I'll save the elephants for the next post.

More Pilanesberg

I can't content myself with just one post. More pictures from our game drive!

We got yelled at a few times when park rangers (or whatever they call them at game parks) found us hanging out the windows...

















The Road Trippers...and Mairin

















If we've told you once, we've told you a thousand times: stay in your car...and no, you cannot ride the zebra.

















I had fun hanging out with the Stewart kids this afternoon. Here we have some wildlife inside the car--Iain is giving himself bunny ears.
























Road Trip, anyone?

A Rhino and Zebra Day

Today I tagged along with the Road Trippers on a game drive through Pilanesberg, a local game reserve. By the end of the day, we'd seen our fill of rhinos and zebra. You know you've gotten a little spoiled when you think, "Oh, it's just another rhino and its baby...where are the lions and elephants?!" Our day at Pilanesberg ended fabulously with a bunch of elephants seen right up close. Going through these pictures just now made me realize again how amazing it is to be here!

Jessie

This is a common sight--Jessie sleeping outside our rooms. The other common sight is when she wipes drool on your jeans as she begs for attention.

Geckos are cool.

This is for you, Anne.

Wildlife, part two

Here's the thing. Last week, I finally lugged my suitcases out of my room and down to the loft in the main house for storage. Behind said suitcases, I found a rather large, flat spider. He scuttled away behind my bed. Hmm. Katie had a run-in with a similar spider and was told it was harmless, but that it ate mosquitoes. So, I cringed but left the guy where he was. In a couple days, he had migrated to behind my backpack, a place where I felt more comfortable for him to take up residence.

Well. Tonight as I was kicking off my shoes, I noticed my friend the spider hanging out beside my backpack. Here's a picture for you.















Then, I glanced at the other wall in that same corner. And then? Then came the revelation. There are two of them. Take a look at this guy hanging out next to my bed, by my shoes. It's backpack spider's slightly larger friend.















I can't quite believe I'm ok with this. They're both still there on their respective walls. And I'm going to bed.

Wildlife at Pangani

I think this is a centipede. If so, it's a HUGE centipede.

Next up in this series: the rather large but flat spider who lives behind my backpack.

Gigantic Mollusk

My foot is in the picture for perspective. I do realize that this is the second time I've posted a picture of my foot. I apologize sincerely if this bothers you.

Chippy at the door

This is one of the two Pangani dogs, Chippy, hanging out just outside my doorway. On Saturday, Carissa and Sarah and I took the dogs for a walk. But really, it was kind of like the dogs took the three of US for a walk.