Africa 22

  This afternoon we were off to do some Reserve work, this can involve blocking off roads, clearing debris or just branch cutting over roads we use on the reserve. Today we headed up north to complete a tree removal. The tree was massive we thought we'd still give it a go. We decided to cut some large branches coming off the trunk, these were successful but the trunk of the tree was too big for our little chainsaw.        The weather gradually changed It started trying to rain but not super cold, the ground under our feet started becoming tacky and slippery. The ants were ok, if you did not want to stand still otherwise they'd start making their way up your shoes. On the way back we saw a few birds strutting about there was a saddle billed stalk browsing at Lisa's Dam while we saw a Fish Eagle hunting at Chip Dam. The rain seemed to disappear so we stayed nice and dry for the rest of the drive back to base.         Above:- Sadd...

#GVIfans   Today was a day for Waterbucks some days we see everything on the reserve while on others it seems like the creatures take in turns to appear. It allows us to get valuable photo opportunities and to sharpen our photographic skills. Waterbucks appear to be solitary animals you do not really observe them in herds but more of groups of up to 4 of by themselves. They are a long haired antelope that moves around permanent water sources as they need constant moisture due to having more sweat glands than most antelope. They are dusty grey in colour with a white ring surrounding their back end and a nose that looks like it been dipped in white paint. They are also called the African reindeer with a shiny heart shaped black nose.    

  #GVIfans   It was a Sunday afternoon and optional drive but Amelie's first drive. The rest of the group said no thank you to the drive, they were all tooo tired, so it was just Amelies, Adam, Aimee and I. Tonights drive was amazing we started by heading northwards we were heading round a bend and towards an open area and stumbled into the elephants. We got to see a few of the herd as they headed towards the river. We got to see a majestic female with an aged and distinguished looked about her. Along with Phumbe one of our big bull elephants he has slightly smaller tusks than Flipe but greater in body size. We even got to see tin tiny it was sooo cute smaller than the adults tail. It only reached the knee of the mature female and was smaller than her cousin next to her who was about 12 months old. The size differences were incredible to capture, we were on awe of tiny tiny's size thinking she will be as big as her aunt someday. They gradually walked off to the river as we wa...

  #GVIfans   So today was quite a quiet drive looking at tracks and birds. We then went through twin rock open area where we spotted KFC our cheetah girl. She was frolicking on a warm sand patch, she looked like a kitten rolling over in the sand legs flexed up in the air. She didn't care that we were even there just acting like a home cat enjoy the pure sunshine. She looked majestic like a queen and extremely relaxed as she rose and continued on her way. The rest of the drive was very smooth as, we don't get to see KFC like that or as close every day so we enjoy the rewards receive.   Below:- Black Sparrow hawk     Above: Hippo tracks Above:- KFC the female cheetah   This afternoons drive we were also rewarded with a special sighting of KFC sitting underneath a Black Monkey Orange tree. She was looking cozy in the little shade patch hiding from the sun bearing down. We were able to walk towards her little hide away and take photos from about 3 metres a...

#GVIfans We started the day super early at 4:15AM to go to Kruger. We had a driver and were riding in a roofed safari vehicle. The trip to the Kruger gate took about 1.5hours and then didn't get into the park until after 8am. We started by seeing a spotted hyena suckling her young on the roadside. She was relaxed and observed her surrounds. A specific pup was curious and came exploring our vehicle. In total we saw 4 mischievous pups. As time went on another hyena family member appeared mum got up and greeted mum and the pups followed.  attached is a giraffe video https://youtu.be/hU7wQ5eG_5A We then went ahead and came across elephants grazing, It was a large herd with mixed ages. Some females had calves that were shorter than the tall grass, this made it extremely hard to get a clear photo. A young male tried to stare our vehicle down as we had propped just before he decided to cross the road, so he thought we were in his way. It was staying a clear warn day with hardly any cloud ...

  #GVIfans We go to town weekly although the groups rotate, so I personally I go to town every two weeks. Town is a very busy day we leave the GVI base at 7 or 7:30am depending upon what the plan is for the day. The day is very full on the first day we started with 4 hrs at a reptile house, there we received an informative lecture on reptiles mainly focusing on snakes and the different types of toxins. We then had a stroll around the park and had a look at the different reptiles which included various, snakes, lizards, turtles, and a couple of crocs. The demonstrator then showed us how the black mamba snake eats and explained how snake moulting works. When snakes undergo moulting their eyes change to a blue tint, there appetite decreases, and they shed a few days later. They are very vulnerable at this stage. We then go for lunch at the marula bar just out of town. The food was very nice. We then get the groceries and snacks we need for the following week. By now it's about 3:30 ...

 #GVIfans We had a lecture on conservation going over the population of animal’s om Karongwe and how they manage the populations so the animals don't breed out of control. Zoe also went over the biomes part of South Africa, there are surprisingly 9 biomes just in South Africa. We looked at different conservation groups and how they work and what their key focus is on.   A tricky concept of hunting came up, there are four styles of hunting Trophy Is an organised hunt with a specific target within a species or herd and the person hunting can take part of the animal back with them once it has been taxidermized. Game This hunt is based upon the quality of the game meat Canned Animals bred in an enclosure to be released to be hunted Culling The animals are killed because the population is getting to big and reducing the productivity of the reserve overall.   I have completed a z...

#GVIfans We had a bright clear morning and headed down south to find the cheetah, today she just popped out of the bushes and walked ahead of us. It was the first time I got a chance to see her, other times she had been deep in the thickets. She walked just ahead of our vehicle and when we stopped, she stopped looked back at us and pretty much said follow me. She ended up walking into the bushes to the right and gradually disappeared. She looked so peaceful as she casually went about her morning stroll. attached is a video:-  https://youtu.be/DA3LQf4EmtQ

#GVIfans The morning was nice and clear not told cold today we saw rhino yippee, I hadn't seen them yet. It was a mother and her calf with another rhino. The rhinos get dehorned every couple of years to hope of deterring poachers. The mother we saw has had two calves when they have the 2nd one they push the older one away so they can give the younger one their full attention. Her first calf has been stubborn and does not want to leave mum she had to physically push it away.   The mother had a terrible cut just under her horn that was weeping. We are unsure at this stage how she got it so Zoe took a video and sent it off to the vet. The rhino looked happy otherwise and were enjoying a good scratch off a flakey bark thorn, these thorns are about 1 inch in length and quite sharp and solid or at least they are for us. The rhinos looked like they were enjoying themselves. We stopped for phuza at pride rock which looks over a section of the reserve, there we spotted some nice flame lil...

#GVIfans Heather took us on a game drive to focus on mega herbivores, we were hoping to see the elephants, giraffe, hippo or rhino. We started with some colourful small birds such as the little bee eater, red back strike as well as a ground bird called the crested franklin. We then moved down the road and found a giraffe posing perfectly for photos, clear skies and green foliage standing side on and then working up along the drive path with us. It was a male giraffe; we know this by not having hair on the turrets near his ears. We also drove by some zebra that were casually out in the open, we just missed the elephants as the lodges have priority over GVI game drives, lodge guests are only here for a few days while GVI peeps are her at least 2 weeks mostly times 1 month. It was getting late, so we started on route to base. Little bee eater Red backed strike Crested franklin   We are driving casually and slowly as we are on a rocky road, we spot a small shadow in the distance and re...

#GVIfans   13/01   Game drives vary from seeing not much to seeing many things from colourful birds,  bugs, giraffe, hyenas or lions. Many drives have been very quiet but the scenery is superb, it changes from dense shrubland and becomes open to slightly forestry with a section having a small amount of Canopy. On this particular day the drive was full of adventure. We started off with some mild weather and learnt the process of collecting camera traps.   Camera trap process Writing the camera trap site number down Removing the 8 batteries and placing in fresh ones Recording the SD card number we are removing Recording the new SD card number Resetting the camera so it is armed and active to start taking photos again the batteries last about two weeks   Camera traps are activated by movement during the day or night. It is normally activated by animals passing by, the creatures do not even know the ...

    #GVIfans   So we started the week with a lecture on mammals which covered the basics of class, and then went into diet and bone structures.   Later that week we covered a full CPR course starting off with chest compressions on a dummy and then moved onto a mock scenario within our groups. In these scenarios we practised log rolls with keeping the head supported properly in case of a spinal injury. We also practised a full scene of walking into the situation introducing who you are, checking if the person on the ground is breathing, calling for emergency help, rolling them if they are front down and completing CPR until the emergency team arrive.   We then had a break and finished up the day with virtual scenario with staff members on base acting. 3 of us walked outside and there was chaos. We had a couple of tipsy people that had been having a good weekend and 1 had a snake bite. I was asked to focus on the snake bite by my group partners. We also came acros...

  #GVIfans Our 1st game drive was on the 9th of Jan starting at 3pm. We were shown how to check the tyre pressures, oil, brake fluid, coolant and transmission, we then headed out on safari. Our game drive was quiet in the sense we didn't see any big carnivores but we did spot a Dassie (rockhyrax). This creature looks similar to a Caperberry but has the closest relationship to the elephant. We saw a male and female Giraffe, the way you can tell the difference if through the turrets the females have hair on like pompoms while the males are bald. We also saw Zebra, Wilderbeast, Impala medium sized antelope. Kudu or ghost antelope as they dissapear into the scrb very easily even though they are soo big. The Kudu largest antelope they have amazing massive ears with a red tinge. As the afternoon turned evening we saw a jackal it was cute and looked quite fluffy.   

  #GVIfans   It was a really simple process with   GVI member picking a few of us up in town. We left Hoedspruit bout 1pm and drove for about 1hr to get to Base at Karongwe Private Reserve, Limpopo. IT is a nice simple base with concrete walls and wide open windows to view the game as it passes by through the day and night. The bedrooms are simple set up as dorm style bunks with mosquito nets and ceiling fans. There is a long dining chill area with multiple tables and lounge style chairs at varying heights off the ground. The kitchen is open and set up with gas stovetops lit with a match. Outside we have hammocks a swing chair all attached to the giant Mahogany tree. The Mahogany tree gives us much need shade at the heat of the day.   The days have started simple with class session not starting until 7:30 I generally wake up around 5:30am and out of bed about 6am anyway so it's pretty easy going. Our 1st few days have just been introductions session that las...

  Above:-Braai    Below:- Hunters rest, Hoedspruit   #GVIfans It’s a quiet country town with a community centre filled with everything you could think of. There was good tasty fresh food. The western pizzas are surprisingly good. I went to a place called sleepers it is an old railway station restaurant. The pizza was thin crusted with a small amount of toppings so was actually nice and light. It wasn't even oily. Delicious with pulled pork, capsicum/peppers, and pineapple with a tomato base and mozzarella cheese. Yes, pineapple does go on pizza.   The Komegelo community centre that has all the shops you need some cafes with good priced food, casual cheap clothes shops and souvenir shops to gather all those thigs you forgot to get for family and friends back home. It is has been created with old mudbricks and situated in a semi-circle shape.   Behind the centre are many Hostels I stayed at one called Hunters Rest. It was simple and quaint with a...

  #GVIfans  So I started on the 4th of January 22 and went off to the airport a smooth run thankfully but a 3hr wait for a PCR test. By the way if you are traveling overseas you will be charged for a PCR; pricing at the airport $80AUD or $150AUD at the clinics.   My route the boring stuff   Melbourne -> Singapore 8hrs I had a row to myself so a crashed out and slept many hours of the journey. The meal was butter chicken and rice, it actually tasted good   Singapore airport (10hrs)   It was really boring nothing was open due to COVID so missed the amazing butterfly house, not happy   Singapore -> Johannesburg 10hrs   I also had a row to myself again yippee The food was annoying it was a fillet of chicken not in small pieces with little pasta pieces, so a pain to eat on a plane with slight turbulence.   Both flights were very smooth.