Posts Tagged ‘bushveld’

Website update

Just a short message from the bush

Been a while since the last update posted, but much has happened in that time, almost too much for me to remember all the details. Have moved from the last lodge to one that is based inside the Kruger borders, have started here with the beautiful distraction for the last three weeks. Had a little gap off day during the move from the last lodge to our current home in the bush.

Exciting would be an understatement, there has been oodles of excitement and new things happening. goes with out saying that the sightings here at the new lodge are also truly awesome, from lions on tap, leopards in trees and buffalo herds of note, wildebeest eating cheetah, dogs on the road and many more.

Let me go a little deeper, the lion pride that abound around our current lodge are easier for us to locate, the reason being …we cheat. One of the females in the pride has a satellite collar attached that is used for research and only for research purposes, part of an ongoing study on lions in the Kruger. Bonus for us, we have access to that collar and can track there movement history and estimate where they may turn up. Yes not the way things are done and we do not abuse the system, but if that technology is there, why not use it. The rest we find with luck and hard work.

The dogs have been amazing; at only starting here for the last few weeks, I have already racked up more than 9 different sightings of different wild dog packs roaming in the area. Let me remind all that this is a massive area and that wild dog’s sightings are rare. So bully for me, love those guys!

Leopard density in the area is very very high, and still they are hard to spot, spot the spotted cat…ha ha sorry had to try. When we came in to start our new potion, on route in with my vehicles packed for the move in, and an awesome male leopard right next to the road? This must be an omen, a good luck sigh if you will

cheetah sighting, one of my best cheetah sightings yet, noticed a herd of impala running for there lives across the plains in the distance then crossing in front of me(here your live does depend on your running)  decided to wait and follow up and sure to believe it, three male cheetah emerged on the horizon, at first they were far and resting often, a binocular sighting, not too much to report, but p[patience in this game pays off, I sat it out and they came closer, however a herd of wildebeest close to us had other ideas, and decided to get closer to the cheetah and then promptly chare them? prey chasing predator around the three cheetah got separated from each other as the wildebeest ran amok, chasing one here then there, then in front of my vehicle and back across. the cheetah started chirping like birds to relocate each other when the dust had settled , very cool.

same stretch of road a few days earlier, saw a crash of rhino (yes a group is called a crash) and was observing and discussing them when another crossed the road in front of us, with one in tow 50 meters back. The big male at the far back then out of nowhere and for no reason charged and started to engage the other, a few meters away from us. Vicious and serious this fight was. Cruel to witness by great to record.

Well I am back in the saddle so to speak, and this was just a taste of my first two weeks at the new lodge, I promise to update and post photos soon, when the animals allow me.

No5

Short version of this commentary is about bush/lodge vehicles,

Long version below, is the author being long winded in saying he has a character full vehicle, and that he dig’s it.

Every ranger, or lodge employee usual has either a vehicle assigned or if not assigned they have a favorite out of the vehicle pool, this is no exception for me, I too always have that favorite out of the selection of either mala-mala green or khaki colored vehicles that are stationed at a lodge.

Let me start off with saying that by no stretch of the imagination am I a mechanic, and that as said mechanic I could adjust or fix that worn vehicle that I have acquired out of the mound that is called the “lodge pool”. I have to treat it well, as my own baby and not drive it like I stole it.

I have to make do with what is there. And make it run for another couple of years, of course a couple of years are relative, a couple could mean ten…make that old vehicle work beyond his expire date.

Secondly, a vehicle (“mover”, as it is called out here) is either a skorokoro or is new.

Skorokoro is an African expression, it means too-old-to-work and new means the lodge owner spent some. More likely to get the former than the latter driving around lodges.

No in-betweens, either you see a out the box and be sure you do not scratch it on the hundreds of obstacles like branches, rocks, thorns, spikes and just about anything else out in the bush, or… you have the old faithful, the lodge run about that has a engine that will not die under a body that has been scratched on all the obstacles mentioned before. They are more than likely temperamental, stubborn, leaks some or other fluid and a general pain in the…

With the above in mind, I usually tend to lean to these skorokoro’s, as they have character, have seen the bush and been around the block (a few times). And yes you saw it coming, I can scratch it them. They are also the ones that usual pull the new boys out of the trouble!

I do consider myself a careful and aware driver, however all people of all ages think they are “good” drivers. All would judge themselves as “road savvy”.

Bush driving people are no different, all handle it differently and we all would consider our driving up to standard. With all these “good” drivers using these vehicles and taking into account the roads and topography these vehicles travel on and sometimes through. Parked wherever, during the dry and the wet season (everybody gets stuck in the mud in the wet, sooner than later) one could with out a doubt say that the vehicles take a beating from all sides. They get skorokoro very quickly.

This is the abuse no5 has taken over a few years; he has been there and done that, seen it and abused it.

I got no5, I took him (yes him, tired of vehicles always being a she) under my care. That is I was told to use it and make it work and treat it like gold.

As I have said I reckon I am no worse than most and have gently coaxed this vehicle around the bumpy, dusty and need-a-grader roads we have here. And I have fallen in love with him (in a heterosexual way!)

He is a character.

If no5 starts first thing in the morning I am lucky, if the diesel gauge is even close to being in the vicinity of accurate I am happy, the lights working  is a luxury I am happy without and the brakes braking are a bonus.

Last night I was reminded that no5 got me there and back, no complaints. Was a great little night excursion that made me ponder this vehicle I have been using.

Last night I took my no5 with another ranger, a few guests (and a radio for backup) on a night drive, we had heard the lions roaring a km from camp and after dinner set out to find them.

At this point all the character of no5 came out, engine coughed into life barely (feeling lucky) tried the head lights, and here is that fun loving spirit that is no5, if the lights  go one, the engine dies? Go figure? There was a slight burning smell emitting from under the bonnet and the front left wheel was shaking, the other ranger lent out during the trip and casual remarked that it looked like it was buckling? We found those lions using my hand torch to navigate instead of headlights and got back safe. No spotlight in no5

No5 would not start this morning, had to tow it and get it started with no9, had to do this in reverse! No9 is another story, no doors, no back seat, hollowed out front seat where the springs have given in, zero tread on tyres, not even a dashboard…oddles of character… another story.

No5 has no cover, so when driving down to the reserve airstrip you are boiling in the sun, make sure you do not leave the seat for too long at the airstrip, as this will heat up and when you get back in, you burn from above and below (wearing shorts on this seat does not help, exposed skin to the metal surface of a oven would be a comparison)

No5 has no backfire but a mean bellow of smoke when started, do not stand behind no5.

No5 may be a little bit aesthetically pleasing to the eye, pleasing that is, if you are a man that does not mind that it is raised at the back quite high as if it has been “pimped out” and has a paint job that holds the rust in place.

No5 is where the girlfriend cut her teeth on buffalo, driving through a herd 200+ on her second day.

No5 has transported staff too and throw, including the overweight chef, up and down.

No5 has come thru the raining season, remember with no cover, and was high but not dry at the end, now worries and no complaints.

I have used no5 to pull out a game viewer a lot younger than he; he did it with a cough and a gurgle which in engine language means a big fat ha ha, no sweat.

No5 is reliable in his unreliability.

He has a alarming grinding squeak when the brakes do kick in

No5 has brought joy to many during his service as a bush vehicle, earlier is his life being used as a game viewer. One could wonder what this vehicle has seen.

Long may I drive no5

Take it slow

We can never take it for granted.

The “we”, being the guides and people who work and live out in the southern African bush.  We who are privileged to be able to call the South African bush home. I, being part of that, have been very fortunate in my chosen career. And I do get reminded of this by the many brilliant guests that I have the pleasure of meeting. This may be a once-off-trip or the umpteenth time visit to the bush for them, either way the sheer excitement, curiosity and down right joy for them being here is infectious. Read the rest of this entry »

“What was the best day?”

When one’s thoughts wonder to game rangers or game ranging, the first things most people think of is wildlife, wild Africa, wild elephants, gin and tonic sunsets, predators and prey acting out there life’s in front of clicking cameras or steamed up binoculars, this all unfolding in front of our star stuck eyes on a daily basis, reality check, far from it for me to break that fantasy, but there are no marauding lions on every corner , nor elephants or any other vast herds waiting patiently behind the nearest thorn tree for a game viewer to pass by so they can parade out to oohhs and aahhs and to the click whirr click of our cameras. Read the rest of this entry »