Posts Tagged ‘safari camp’

Some guests reckon we have it easy, living and working in the bush, some thing it is all day driving around looking at nature, well we too have a our stress and worries. The last few days for instance, let me run thru the last few days, in a short form and not bore you with the details.

AS many would have picked up, there is a little thing called the soccer world cup in south Africa at present, this would mean a increase of international visitors to south Africa and hence a increase of visitors to my lodge i.e. WE Are BUSY. Well booked at the camps.

Been a few niggled things pop up here and there the last week, radio in my game viewer not functioning correctly, flat tyre etc  and a very slow reserve, seems someone forgot the gate open and the animals have all left…

Had guests arrive for another ranger few days back, had to rush them thru a check in and then link out with said ranger to hand over the guests somewhere in the reserve, of course could not link out as could not contact other ranger on radio, so had to do a impromptu drive them myself, with no cooler box for drinks break,(in Africa there is no excuse for a warm beer) no tracker, no spot light, no jersey, gloves etc (yes we are in winter) so a short drive, with freezing hands only my personal torch on the way home. When we did get home (did I mention cold) found we had no water in camp, which is the whole camp, from top to bottom has no water. Fight with the staff to come help (staff would rather have watched the soccer than help) pull up a 100 meter pipe from the bore hole to fix the pump at night. Water know trickling into water tanks, barley coming in. have to inform guests that we are on water restrictions, I have to switch off water for lengthy periods while the tanks refill at a snail pace.

Next day get my own guests, but have a stand in tracker who is not very good, and I have to remind him a few times it is impolite to swear on the game viewer. Game viewer is old to say the least, a bumpy ride ensues, and half way home the spot light breaks, with few animals seen. No hot water bottles either for guests, I feel like an idiot.

Dinner has me telling same guests can not shower as water restrictions… next morning, radio not working; I have borrowed my handheld radio to another ranger as he has nothing at all…

Next day, water still not pumping properly, tent 11 has leaking toilet, some guests understandably not happy with water times I have put in place. Miss breakfast as running around fixing camp problems. Arrange for some of my guests to go to other camp to watch soccer. These runs to other camp to watch soccer is becoming a regular appearance, so up at 5am go all day and in bed by 11pm.

Took a tight corner a little too hastily, Drove my tracker through a buffalo thorn, ripped his shirt, guests must think I am a moron driver. No animals or not much. Having to resort to Ferrari safari, just to sight some more awesome animals. Dislike Ferrari safari (being polite to say dislike)

Last morning woke up, brush teeth and dress, walk to main building to receive guests for drive, still busy wiping the sleep grip that accumulates in the corner of your eye, when grass splinters, twigs snap and turmoil, out the corner of my eye, no less than 3 meters away, out of the long grass, like a apparition, two gigantic horns rise out of the grass! BUFFALO! He rises there while I am caught in the open and taken by surprise! Training to hell, instinct kicks in, swearing and flashes of possible male lion charging,(lions do not have horns) leap in the air like a girl, more swearing when training takes over after that first split second and I stand my ground to confront. My god! Lucky for me the

Buffalo got a fright like me and ran in the opposite direction. (Possibly also swearing in buffalo lingo) made it to the lodge, still shaking. Had he not ran but took two steps foreword; he would have gored me before my morning coffee! Buffalo around camp every night is no longer a joke. Going to have a beer now and re group tonight. Lesson learned never forget where you are…

He lives to type this blog, maybe some other day…reason I am still shaking.

Buffalo 1 Ranger 0

Guests for that afternoon for me, only going to arrive at 8pm, gates close at 6, so have to contact reserve and arrange, also need our vehicle to meet them at the gate to show them the way in the dark. Late dinner and late check in, always wrong!

Bored with this, Rest of week in point form…

Some lights on pathway, not working, no spares to be had in camp

Chest in tent 9 broken by guests, they left and did not say a word

Monkeys are playing havoc around camp looking for food

Flat tyre at 5.45 am this morning, broke record changing to spare tyre

Vehicle leaking oil? Can not find source

Guests not happy with other vehicle (other guests or ranger), have to transfer to mine, know have 10 guests plus tracker on my old landy

Guests broke bar stool, Drunk Mexican soccer fans?

Utility old (read very old and tired) landy has been towing a tractor tyre behind, and know the chassis has cracked on both sides.

Buffalo encounters almost every night while walking back to my room.

…

The list goes on…

However I end the week with a sighting of note, 4 leopards, yep 4, a male, female and two cubs on a waterbuck kill. Makes it all worthwhile. Another reason to be shaking, this time, not an unhappy shake…

Back from leave and almost had half a bum cheek back in the saddle. meaning that I am back in the bush after a leave, had a drive or two but am not driving too much this month, boo hoo, will have to enjoy the bush from the lodge deck. On leave had a new addition to my sister’s family, great to see a new baby.

Baby’s in the bush will be coming end of this year, we have just completed the rut season, breeding season for many, most of all the impala, great to see the male strutting and roaring there stuff around the bush, trying to put on a good show for the females, nice to see males cavort and prance and put the effort into winning there right to breed, impala with a gestation of six and a half months will bring the storks bearing young impala in time for Christmas this year. Look foreword to that.

The herds of buffalo also have young at present, ranging from a week to a few weeks; I have sent the herds sporadically the last few times. Over all though, since returning, and having a few drives, the general consensus is that it is quite in our region of the bush. Not too much to report on game activities in the immediate area, and some of the drives have seen us range a little further and move a little quicker to get there.

Of course not all things are out far in the bush, whilst walking a guest back to there accomadation, after dinner so therefore in the dark, in the corner of my eye I saw a movement, at first the glance told me lioness, large, sleek and silky. But as I brought the torch light up to bear, it illuminated a female leopard, rather large if I say so myself, she was moving thru camp, in-between the buildings in the direction of the lodge waterhole in the front of the main deck. Guest and I had a full one second to

1.see her

2. identify it as leopard

3.anaylyse what we could do, should she change direction.

All this in a second and she was gone. Poof like the magic dragon, gone. But that is how leopard sightings go.

Drives themselves have become cold, lekker warm days hitting as much as 28 degrees, yes for us lucky few winter us could mean 28 degrees, however, when the sun dips below the horizon, or before the sun peeks up over the morning horizon, it is cold, a bearable cold but a cold that can only be shaken with the hot water bottles we supply for drive. Lucky for a ranger, we are immune to the cold, we have thick blood. We feel neither cold nor discomfort, or so it seems…

Do not always enjoy these cold moment beginnings to a morning drive, these cold moments in the morning are unloved, like orphans.