The South African Chronicles - Part 2

Any first experience is always very memorable. So it was with my first safari. We were invited to the Mabula Game Reserve as guests of Dr. Mallya. Mabula is a UB Group Resort and is situated near Bela Bela. It is set in one of South Africa's finest private game reserves. Only two hours North of Johannesburg, this 12000 hectare reserve is home to an abundance of animal and bird life, including the 'Big-5'. Exclusive accommodation is provided in our 47 rooms including 3 suites that offer guests every comfort in a scenic natural setting.
http://www.mabula.com/

We reached in time for a sumptuous lunch followed by a short rest and then our first game drive of the trip. We were quite excited and piled into the safari jeeps.

On the drive, we saw many antelope, impalas and giraffe. We came across a plain where there were some zebras grazing and in the distance saw some rhino and warthogs. The guide then tracked some elephants but we could not see them as they were hidden behind some rocks. The number one lesson that the game drive taught me was that one has to be patient and then nature will reveal itself to you.

The beautiful African plain.

Zebra grazing ............... 

Don't miss the bird on the giraffe

Dinner was around a campfire with each guide joining us at the table. There was also some entertainment by the local tribal staff. The African dance is quite energetic and has vigorous movements of the arms and legs and it is also quite suggestive!

Early the next morning at half past 5, we were up and away for our second game drive. It started off well when we saw some white rhinos and then we drove for a while before our smart guide was able to track some lions. It was an amazing feeling seeing these wild cats relaxing in their natural habitat. There were 2 lions, 4 lionesses and a cub. We would have missed them; so well their skin blended with the grass in which they were lying in. But we could not miss the manes of the lions as they lazily raised their heads to check us out. We were also lucky to see a family of jackals which included 4 babies!

Rhinos grazing in the early morning light.

Don't miss the 4 lionesses and cub behind the king!

Rhinos are powerful animals with a keen sense of smell.

These baby jackals very so cute!

We were lucky to catch sight of this herd crossing our paths. 

  The famous blue widebeest.

 

An ostrich sticking its head into the ground!?


Some facts that I learned on our safari:

- The African Big 5 are – the lion, the leopard, the black rhino, the elephant and the buffalo.
- The leopard is the most elusive of the 5 and true enough, we did not spot any during our trip to South Africa.
- There is a difference between the white rhino and the black rhino. Both are grey in colour. The difference is in the shape of their mouth and the way they eat. The white rhino is more common of the two and it has a square mouth and is constantly grazing grass. Its head is bent down whilst the black rhino is always looking up and eats the leaves of the lower branches of trees.
- The giraffe cannot bend its head for more than 5 minutes or else it will have a heart attack!
- The lion eats once in 7 days as it takes that long for the food to digest. However it is an opportunistic animal and if food presents itself it will not deny itself.
- The African buffalo was almost extinct and intense conservation has prevented its extinction. Also most of them suffer from tuberculosis and they are being treated for the same as they are food for the lions.
- The impala can be recognized by the “M” below its tail. That is why it is fondly called the McDonalds burger for the lions. And when it lies on its back, it is Wimpy’s!
- There are strict rules for games reserves. E.g. For every 1000 hectares of land there can only be 1 elephant as they eat a lot of the vegetation and drink plenty of water.



The South African Chronicles - Part 1

This was my first trip to the African continent – so I was super excited. A lot of what I knew about South Africa was gleaned from the many Wilbur Smith novels that I had read. Despite that, I kept an open mind as I truly believe that every journey is a path of discovery.

We landed at OR Tambo airport and were picked up by my friend Gaurav and driven to his apartment in Bedfordview which is a suburb of Johannesburg, fondly known as Jo’burg and Jozi. My first impression was that everyone lives in gated communities and that one cannot freely walk on the roads or take public transportation. You have to drive yourself everywhere or be driven about! There are maxi taxis which are a cheaper option but I was given to understand that it is the best and surest way to get mugged!

The first day we took it easy, getting to know our hosts – Gaurav, Mini and their wonderful son Parth. It was also the last day of Mini’s sister Deepti’s stay in Jozi, so the day revolved around her and her last minute shopping. We went to the Broma Handicraft market where we picked up African masks, candles and other souvenirs. That evening, we had a farewell dinner for Deepti at a Thai restaurant in Nelson Mandela Square.

                                            Gaurav, Mum, Mini, Dipti, Parth and myself at Nelson Madela Square.

The next morning we drove an hour north from Jozi to the Cradle of Humankind. It is a UNESO World heritage site, famous for the 3 million year old fossils of hominids and other animals. The discoveries were instrumental in changing the way we view humanity and the history of human development. The most important and most famous of these fossils are “Mrs Ples”, a 2.1-million-year-old Australopithecus skull, and “Little Foot”, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton that is more than 3-million years old. These fossils, both found in the Sterkfontein Caves in the Cradle of Humankind, tell us much about the precursors of modern humans, Homo sapiens.

Archaeological finds within the Cradle of Humankind also include 2-million-year-old stone tools. The oldest recorded, at Swartkrans, near the Sterkfontein Caves, is a collection of 270 burnt bones that reveals how our ancestors learned to master fire more than 1-million years ago – a significant development and an early technological innovation. The ability to do this has taken us from the basic skills needed to keep ourselves warm and to cook our food, to being able to control and harness the power of fire to the extent that we can now create and burn rocket fuel to reach space and beyond.

                                                       The entrance to the Sterkfontein caves

The Maropeng Visitor Centre is an exciting, world-class exhibition, focusing on the development of humans and our ancestors over the past few million years.

                               The Maropeng Centre is shaped like a burial mound called the Tumulus

It is remarkable how much we have achieved as humans over the last 3 million years but finally we have to ask ourselves................

http://www.maropeng.co.za

12 hours in Amsterdam.............

What does one do if one has 12 hours transit in AMS? And if one has a Schengen visa? Of course go out and spend time in the city.



Tulips are representative of Amsterdam


Amsterdam is one of the most exciting cities in the world. No matter how many times you visit, there will always be something new to discover.

Getting from Schiphol airport to the Centraal station is very convenient. The train station is below the airport and there are frequent trains. Once you get out of Centraal, you are in the heart of the city and the action.

Centraal station itself is a beautiful building.

Amsterdam Centraal Station

Every city has huge car parks. Amsterdam is unique – it has bicycle parks and there are thousands of bicycles. I over heard a guide saying that there are 600000 bicycles in AMS; one for every person.

The bicycle parking

On the Saturday I was there, I saw thousands of people walking from the station down a road. So I decided to follow them as I guessed there was something happening. It surely is unusual to see so many people walking with determined purpose at 7 am on a Saturday morning. As it turned out, there was a walkathon organized from Dam to Dam (Amsterdam to Zandaan). Apparently 6000 people participated in the walkathon.

I followed the walkers for a while on their route which took them through the small streets of the city. Amsterdam is unique because it started off as a small settlement near the river Amstel. Over the centuries it grew to be an important trade centre. Today it truly is a global metropolis. There are over 1000 bridges linking the city which has many many canals running through it.

Canals, canals, everywhere.......

I am fascinated by the Dutch houses and am a keen collector of the little KLM houses. As I strolled leisurely through the city, I admired the beautiful houses – some very narrow, some ornate, some very old. It does intrigue you to wonder what goes on behind the facades. On an earlier trip I had taken a canal tour where they pointed out historical houses and explained that the houses were very narrow. Furniture had to be lifted up through cranes and taken into the houses through windows (and not the main front door). Therefore if you look carefully, most of the houses still have hooks at the top. I wonder if it still happens or does every use IKEA furniture?

I collect the mini houses on the KLM flights and it is fascinating to see some similar ones which are real.

The lovely Dutch houses along the canal

Interesting bench

The cycle forms a very important part of the lives of the Dutch

Wonder if you get exctasy in this cafe?

The church tucked away in the alley. But it is huge inside.

A church tucked away amongst the narrow houses. I almost missed it.

Luckily for me, Charlotte was free to meet me for lunch. She had classical singing classes in the afternoon. So it worked out perfectly for me that we got to spend sometime before she left for singing and I for the airport. We had apple and bacon pancakes. Never had the combination before but it was delicious.

Charlotte and her antique bicycle

Charlotte and me having apple and bacon pancakes.

At the airport, there is enough and more to keep one entertained. I love transiting through Schiphol airport. They have a smaller version of the Rijksmuseum where you can admire the Dutch masters.

You can admire the Dutch masters in the airport Rijksmuseum

And in the museum shop at the airport, I stumbled upon the Elephant Parade. In one of my earlier posts, I had written about the Elephant Parade in London. Amsterdam is another city that supports this project. However I only came across one elephant figure in the city.
www.elephantparade.com

Airports generally tend to be uncomfortable. But not Schiphol. There are lots of shops and lots of restaurants. There is a lot of comfortable seating where one can read the Airport Library collection of books on Dutch culture. There is also a piano where passengers can play and entertain others while killing time for themselves. I was lucky that the people who chose to play whilst I was there were proficient and we were enthralled by lovely classical and pop music.

The airport library

I was keen to see the Anne Frank museum on this trip, but unfortunately the museum was closed as it was a Jewish holiday. Disappointed I was but it just means that I will have to do it on my next trip to AMS.