Posts Tagged ‘spotlight’

The sightings have been pumping, really well in the bush of late; can not even decide where to go on drive. We may plan a rough route to take, but within half an hour of game drive, the radio is buzzing. An awesome week to be out on game drive.

Shhh…crackle…pop..lions have killed… or 4 cheetah brothers next to the road..static..crackle… relocated on leopard cubs at…static

Really all the cats have been out and active, rhino, elephant, antelope and giraffe are all begging to have there photos taken.

Wanting to head north for a birds and trees drive, to relax and enjoy the smaller less talked about parts of the African bush, but the sightings keep calling us back, and we head off south or east to find again a beautiful creature.

At this point I must stress that these sightings and conditions is not the “normal”, the bush has just come alive this past week, and we rangers are taking full advantage.

There have been 6 male lions, a strong coalition of 5 young males along with a older and wiser male, they were first sighted and heard at the water hole outside our camp late at night, the next morning we tracked them down they had covered a considerable distance, about 10km from our water hole over night and still had time to kill a old buffalo bull, we converged on the scene as they were lazing about there kill with full extended stomachs. An awesome sighting

The two leopard cubs around the river road area, were hanging around the same patch for a few days so we could relocate them and view them on a few different occasions, one such occasion I took a chance in the morning and headed to that area, the reward was to witness the young female leopard execute a stalk on a herd of impala, we sat patiently for about a hour as we gauged her progress, in the end she failed in the final charge, but for that hour we had her, the adrenaline and excitement were palpable. Such a beautiful young lady in stalking mode, I was reminded again how hard it is to keep with them as she would stalk in and out of view as she used the local vegetation as cover. After having a good look at the leopard thru my binos,I explain that this female is still very young and  inexperienced, and may be punching a little over her weight class. Awesome morning

Our four cheetah brothers are back in our area of operation after not being seen for a month or two, they have returned from Kruger and are scent marking there old stomping ground, next to a leopard the cheetah is as beautiful and graceful. We may be lucky and they may stay in our area. Awesome again to see

Duikers, steenbok, stately giraffe, noisy zebra and other antelope are around, with the dry season not broken as yet, they are a little more few and far between but still there. And as much as the cats, predators and other big 5 are the most sought after, these others can not be ignored. We bumble thru the bush, me happily throwing a piece of information or two about the fauna and flora found here. I try to depart a piece here and there, but honestly the bush has spoken for itself and my guests are happy to simple drive around and enjoy the sightings.

We rangers have a little knowledge on the bush and always wish to share and show off, at the same time, the more we guides find out the more we need to find out more. A good guide will recognize that he/she does not know it all and learn everyday.

would love to have all the answers for the bush out here, but nature simply does its thing and we are the observers, who sometimes wonder and ask why…sometimes it is nice not to have natures answer and simply say ”Nature does as nature does”

Awesome week

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