Drive four - the final ride

Got my 5 a.m. wake-up call from Christoph and was en route to the South side of the park 30 minutes later. We were on pursuit of the elephants again and found them not too far from our first spotting. Again, Christoph decided we need to get on foot to get a better look. So, we hiked through a gorge just in time to watch the elephant pass through as the sun was coming up directly behind us. It was perfect. For as large as elephants are, they are quite graceful and don’t make much noise when they walk.

Later we stopped for coffee and biscuits next to a pond that happened to be home to two hippos. As we ate, the hippos would come to the surface, take a look at us, and then go back under water. Eventually, they gave us a good look at their heads, but never came completely out of the water. Here’s an interesting fact, more people are killed every year by hippos than by any other animal in the bush. I guess they aren’t too friendly.

We also got another look at the wildebeest, zebra and springbok before we returned to the lodge.
Sanbona was defiantly my favorite part of this trip (the sharks are a close second). It’s just amazing to see these animals in their natural habitat. The way they move, interact with each other and their surroundings is incredible. This trip is worth the time it takes to get here and the cost of getting here, three fold. It’s like those Visa commercials – plane ticket $xxx, hotel accomidations $xxx, walking barefoot through the African bush – priceless.

Drive three -- fight night

After a great brunch, a nap and massage, I was ready for my second game drive of the day. Our vehicle was now joined by two Italians and two Brits, and Christoph decided it was time to find the lions.

Sanbona has two types of lion -- the tawny, which is the most common, and the white lion. White lions have been exploited in the past few decades – people trap them for rap videos, private collections, etc. Sanbona is trying to reintroduce the white lions into the bush, so they rescued two that were part of someone’s private collection. The two they rescued have had two litters, and they are trying to raise the cubs with as little human interaction as possible so they learn to hunt for their own food and fend for themselves.

During this process the white lions are being held in an enclosure in the middle of the bush. The problem is, the tawny lions know they are there and want to fight/kill them. So we when we went to see the white lions, the tawnies were there too. The enclosure is double fenced, so the white lions are safe.

There are males in both groups, and their main goal is to protect their pride. We watched for about 45 minutes as the males (and the females) stalked each other. I knew lions were large, but I never realized how large their front paws are. The male’s paws were the size of my head, and these cats were defiantly louder than Tristan.

We were very close to the lions and Christoph felt they were becoming too agitated and too aware of our presence, so we made a slow but safe get-away.

There must have been something in the air, because all the animals seemed to be fighting. We had another great sighting of the giraffe and watched two males fight over a female. Giraffes fight by beating each other with their necks – they rare back and then bang the heck out of each other. Our presence distracted one of the males because he became so intent on watching us that he didn’t seem to notice the repeated beatings he was getting from the other male.

We also had a distance sighting of rhino, springbok and oryx.

Drive two -- the great adventure

Typically morning drives begin at 5:30 a.m., but because the rain was still pouring, Christoph decided to wait an hour, so we got to sleep in until 6 a.m.

Thankfully, the rain had stopped by the time we headed out and the sun was just coming up. Aunt Kathy and I were the only guests on the morning safari, so we got to decide what animals we wanted to find. I was really hoping to see giraffe, so we headed to the North which is where they Christoph said they normally feed.

Somehow, using his special animal ESP powers, Christoph found the giraffe right away. But because it had rained so much the night before, the road we need to take was flooded so we could not get very close. No problem says Christoph – we will just walk to them. Now, Christoph had just finished telling us that just yesterday, he say a family of rhino in this exact area. Still, I figured Christoph knew what he was doing, and he had a very big riffle, so I said what the heck.

So now we are on foot following our guide through the bush. I’m thinking most people probably don’t get this experience, so this is pretty cool. The further we walk, the more water we come to. Christoph then tells us, “It would be better to go barefoot.” Ok…so I take my shoes off, leave them in some tree, and walk barefoot through the African bush. Eventually we are wading through thigh high water and I hoping Cape Cobras don’t like to swim.

We finally got to dry land and are able to get a much closer look at the giraffe. They are such beautiful creates. They are so talk and sleek and move with such grace, they reminded me of ballerinas. There were two babies that Christoph said were only two weeks old.

After our giraffe adventure, I’m thinking the morning couldn’t get any better, but then Christoph says we are going to find the cheetah. And again, within about 30 minutes Christoph had located four cheetahs. And again, he wanted us to walk so we could get a better look.

Now, parts of Sanbona are fenced to keep certain animals separate, so the cheetahs were actually on the other side of the fence, but I was still able to get within three feet of them. And they absolutely did not pay any attention to us – they were much more interested in a herd of springbok behind us.

It was fascinating to watch them, they are very social animals. They would chase each other, rub heads with each other, and purr and meow. I’ve got to say, those cheetah’s meow has got nothing on Tristan. The cheetahs were our final sighting for the morning.

Drive one -- let it rain

Back from the game drive and lots to tell. Since there is so much, I’m dividing up my posts.

We arrived at Sanbona’s front gate at noon where we were met by a vehicle that took us to our lodge. On our way there we came across a Cape Cobra, the most poisonous snake in South Africa. I considered having a Steve Erwin moment until our guide said that if a person is bitten by a Cape Cobra, their heart will stop beating in five minutes. Never mind.

We arrived to the lodge, which is a five star lodge and absolutely beautiful, got unpacked and received our game drive itinerary.

Our first game drive was a 4 p.m. with our guide Christoph. Now, we had been told that it hadn’t rained at Sanbona since October, but just as we were leaving the rain started. Of course! Still, I was so excited about everything, I didn’t mind the rain, and it eventually ended after about an hour.

The landscape at Sanbona is beautiful. It’s surrounded by mountains that have very intricate rock formations. At a glance, it reminded me of Steamboat Springs, CO.

The animal sightings were a bit slow at first – we saw a group of Oryx and springbok and then came across herd of wildebeests and zebra. Christoph defiantly saved the best for last. Our final sighting of the night was a herd of nine elephants. We were able to get very close to them and watch as the grazed through the grass. There were two baby elephants that were absolutely precious.

By this time, the rain had started again and it was dark, so we headed back to lodge for dinner.

Quick update

Yesterday and today have been relaxing days on the farm. Lots of walks, lots of reading, lots of naps. I am trying to save my energy for my upcoming safari! Tomorrow Aunt Kathy and I leave for Sanbona National Park. We will stay there for two days and go on a total of four safari rides. This is where I will see all of the animals. This is what I've been most excited about this entire trip. Since I'll be traveling, I won't be able to make a post for several days, but I promise to post a ton of pictures when I get back.

On our way back from Sanbona, we are going to meet with the directors of Horizon, a non profit in SA that works with children and teens in disadvantaged areas of town. They are really interested in Why Know's program so I've brought some materials to share with them. They are hoping to establish an abstinence program as part of their teen leadership program.

Horizon is based in a town called Stellenbosch, which is known for it's winelands. After meeting with the directors, Aunt Kathy and I plan to spend the rest of the day touring the town.

One final note -- I've developed a taste for ostrich. It is similar to steak, but not as heavy, and it is delish! I've decided I'm going to popularize it in the states. It's going to be the next big food trend.

A little about Hermanus

I realized I haven't said much about the area I'm staying in. The largest/closest city to Mosaic is Hermanus. It's a beautiful town that sits on the Hermanus Bay. From June to December is whale season and there are hundreds of whales in the bay. I'll have to plan another trip to see that. The town itself looks like what I image the coast of Italy or Greece to look like. The only difference is there are large mountains on the other side of the bay.

Closer to Mosaic is a small town called Stanford. Really, it's more like a village. Everyone is very friendly, like in the South, so I feel right at home whenever we drive though. Everyone waves and smiles and stops to chat for a minute.

There are not zebra and lions running around here (I have to admit, that's what I expected). This area is actually more known for it's birds and flowers. In the region I'm in, there are more plant species that in all of North America. The other thing this area is know for is wine! Oh yes, I've had amazing wine...every night. I'm getting so spoiled. Several nights ago we went to a wine tasting in Stanford. Since I didn't have my luggage yet, I ended up wearing black yoga pants. And I must say...I looked pretty fabulous. I guess that proves the girl really does make the clothes.

Aside from the sharks, I've seen lynx and baboons. Baboons here are similar to racoons in the states -- they are a pain and they get into the trash.

Mosaic is between the Hermanus Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. The farm has wonderful walking trails, which I explore daily. The only downside is, walking makes me miss Emma! The top picture is the view from my bedroom and the second picture is of the lagoon.

I almost forgot

My luggage finally arrived today!