CarlaM

I knew this had to be your post Lily! What a nut~ So you have become our resident dung expert I see.

Looks like you had sucessful game viewing at Mashatu as well. I saw lots of familiar critters in your photos. Where did you see that adorable leopard cub?

I would have loved to watch those giraffes necking. We saw dozens of giraffes at Mashatu but none of them necking.

Looking forward to more.... &lt

atravelynn

Now all the photos work. Maybe they were censoring your Gonads of Goma or your Djewels of Djuma. Along with the dung, you are staying within the theme of peeing at the pond.

Leopard cub!! You caught the cheetah and hyena with their mouths full! And in good light. Some unique perspectives on the buffalo. Lovely flowers and seedpods.

Hope your chaos at home is all under control now.

Lillipets

The leopard cub was at Idube. There were 2 cubs in that tree but not visible at the same time. There was a 3rd cub who was missing. We later found out it was killed by another leopard.(If I knew how to make a sad face it would go here)
It seemed like all the predators we saw had their mouths full! It was enough to either make you hungry or make you a vegetarian!
The chaos at home has settled for now. Unfortunately my kids were so hard on my friend who watched them that she has refused to ever do it again! Yes, we are still friends, but if I ever want to go back to Africa again I need to find someone to supervise my kids! My kids didn't really do anything out of the ordinary(for them) but my friend who has no children of her own, was overwhelmed! She said she had no idea my life was so stressful. I just laughed and told her that's why I needed to escape to Africa!

Lillipets

Travel Agent- Marguerite at Eyes On Africa. She was a pleasure to work with. We are already discussing plans for a trip in 2010.
Our itinerary was Mashatu tent camp-5 nights, GomoGomo-a tented camp in the Timbavati for 3 nights, Djuma Bush Camp in Sabi Sands for 2 nights, and Idube in Sabi Sands for 3 nights.
We flew from Chicago to JFK. Then to Joburg. We spent the at Southern Sun O.R. Tambo.
We were met by Derrick from Wilderness Travels. He used to work with Nicky from Eyes On Africa when she was with Wilderness. He said she always walked around with her shoes off so he was always stealing one of her shoes.
The next morning (Sunday 7/27)we took a flight to flight to Polokwane and then a teeny plane to the Limpopo Airfield in Botswana. The teeny plane had seats for 4 passengers, but only if 2 of the 4 people were double amputees! The only thing that would have fit in the seats behind us was 2 torsoes!
We were met met by Dan from Mashatu. He would be our Ranger. He told us we'd drive straight to camp unless we saw something "special"-meaning we wouldn't stop for impala,etc.
We arrived a little after noon and Hilda and Mapula greeted us with cold glasses of Guava juice. They asked if we wanted lunch, there would be plenty of food at "high tea" served at 3:00 so we declined- saying animals 1st, food 2nd. We dropped our bags in our tent and went to see the hide we had heard so much about. You have to go out of the camp itself and cross a dry river bed. The hide itself is 2 floors. We liked the upper floor best. I was too short to see comfortably out the window on the lower floor.
We were only there a couple hours but we saw slender mongoose, impala(in the herd was a 1 horned impala and another one with an obvious limp), kudu, geckos hanging on the side of the hide, a squirrel and lots of birds. It was like having a little Pete's Pond all to ourselves!
Other guests were a young coule from Belgium and a group of 7-a husband and wife,their 3 sons and the fiance of one of the sons all from the states and their private pilot from South Africa. Of course we assumed the teens/young adults were all spoiled brats flying around Africa with their private pilot. We later found out they had spent the previous 2 weeks volunteering in Polokwane at a school for the blind and an Aids orphanage-so our our assumption was way wrong!
We left the hide for "high tea" at 3:00.They served 2 savory dishes and 2 sweet dishes along with the usual selection of beverages. I don't usually care for iced tea, but the iced Rooibos tea with lots of fresh lemon made me an iced tea drinker!
Our first gave drive that afternoon started out very slowly. Nothing much to see. When we were in the planning stages for this trip I had to work hard to convince my traveling companion Linda that staying 5 nights in one location would be a good idea. As the drive went on I began thinking maybe Linda was right- but then eagle eyed Dan spotted 4 cheetah. We couldn't even see them with our binoculars so he ended up driving us right up to them.
Soon after he heard guinea fowl making an alarm call and he found a leopard in a dry river bed with a very fresh kill. It was so fresh the leopard was just starting to open it up. The leopard seemed nervous once a 2nd vehicle arrived so we left. Later on the drive we saw giraffe, kudu, eland, scrub hare, elephant, black backed jackal, a genet and an AARDWOLF! It was dark when we saw the spots and thought hyena but then Linda realized what it was! It was gone too fast for pictures though.
By the end of our 1st game drive we began thinking 5 nights here wouldn't be long enough!

Lillipets

Dinner that night was in a candle lit boma.Sweet potato soup and a buffet of beef curry,lamb, rice, potatoes, assortment of veggies, chocolate mousse for dessert. When we asked for Amarula it was served in a tiny bottle that looked just like the big bottle. They were so cute I bought a bunch of them to bring home as gifts.
We asked about visiting Pete's Pond and spending time with the researchers. As it turns out the predator researcher is on leave, but we are scheduled with the elephant researcher for Wed am. The arrangements for visiting Pete's Pond are also in the works-YAY!
Monday 6am- Dan comes to the tent and says "knock knock." I'm in the middle of a dream and my 1st reaction is to wonder why someone is telling me a knock knock joke and just before I ask "who's there?" I remember where I am. As much as I love being in a tent I have to admit that having a flush toilet and running water is nice!
We go to the lounge area for fresh fruit and what they call "rusk" which is a yummy cookie like a biscotti. The beverages are tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. At 6:30 we are off! Hot water bottles and warm blankets help ward off the morning chill.
Linda and I are the only ones in the vehicle this am because the Belgian couple is taking a bush walk.
When Dan asks what we would like to see I immediately spout "wild dogs!"
In fact I had made my desires known pretty much the moment we set foot in camp the day before. No one makes any promises but there's always the chance that we'll get lucky.
The morning drive results in huge herds of elephant, one old matriarch is about 50 yrs old-she only has one tusk and her temples are sunken. There was a baby elephant so young it was still pink behind the ears! We found a sleepy female lion, some zebra who were very skittish and some "necking" giraffes-way cool!
We returned from the am game drive around 10 and were served a huge brunch in the lounge area.
After brunch Linda and I take a quick shower and head to the hide.
That is our routine every day we are there. For us the hide is magical. One moment there is nothing going on and we are dozing off then..."incoming!" It might seem boring compared to a game drive but there was something so peaceful and personal about it. It's hard to explain. We were usually the only ones there for any length of time. Other guests would come by for a little while but no one seemed to have the patience to just sit and wait.

Lillipets

Monday evening game drive-
There aren't many mature male lions at Mashatu and the researchers aren't sure why. The males seem to stay for a while and then move on out. We found one young male who was wearing a tracking collar. It was just getting dark and he roared a little but it was really a puny excuse for a roar. He actually sounded a little whiny! We imagined he was calling the ladies and whining about being hungry and where's my dinner etc! He looked very sad and unintimidating! We saw lots of elephants again.
We found a leopard in a tree after dark. It was so dramatic seeing him lit up in the tree with just the light from the spotlights. He didn't seem real comfortable with both vehicles there and he kept looking for an easy way down. The easiest route was a large branch that came down the tree and ended right next to our vehicle. He started down it. I was using my camcorder and when I looked in the display all I saw was a leopard's face staring at me! The video is pretty funny because all you see is leopard face and a voice whispering Oh...sh****t! He ended up twisting himself around to the opposite side of the tree, and leapt away. So I didn't end up with a leopard in my lap after all!
Dinner that nite was Beef Wellington, Moroccan chicken, 4 types of veggies, and polenta. There was always soup and fresh bread too, but I didn't write down the type of soup we had that nite. Dessert was pecan cake with whipped cream.
As the days went on I stopped keeping track of exactly what we ate. But it was all wonderful!
That evening we met a new family in camp. They were from Belgium too. The wife has been trying to see wild dogs for 7 years with no luck!They have traveled to all the places where they were most likely to be seen, but no luck. It was always "they were here yesterday, they were here this morning, etc." They were hoping to have better luck at Mashatu.

Lillipets

Tuesday am
We get to go to Pete's Pond this morning! I had no idea where it was in the reserve, but I found out it's way south near the Limpopo airfield. (That's why I always hear planes when I'm watching the Pond!)
A 4 year old going to Disney Land couldn't be any more excited than I was! Talk about the Magic Kingdom! You can keep Mickey Mouse...it Pete's Pond for me!
Afke met us at the gate. She likes to point out that the satellite dish is bigger than the tents the volunteers live in!
Fatty the crocodile crawled out onto the bank while we were there. I commented that "he looks much larger in person." Afke's reply was "he'd be glad to know that!"

To be continued...

Lillipets

It was fascinating seeing everything that goes on behind the scenes at the Pond. Afke explained how vital it is for local people to become familiar with their work. She said they had a volunteer who with a college education in land management yet when she saw her first animal at the pond she had to ask what it was...it was an impala!I have no idea how long we spent at Pete's Pond but before we left I needed to use the toilet facilities.
I love the sign on the door about keeping the baboons out.(you can see the sign in my photo gallery)

After we left the Pond we stopped to pick up the young Belgian couple who had gone for a biking that morning. It didn't look like fun to me! In fact I joked that it looked like something the lions would consider "meals on wheels!"

More later...

atravelynn

What a first night at Mashatu! Funny leopard video. The dog-free Belgian made the right move with Mashatu.

atravelynn

dog-less Belgian is more accurate.