More of Kruger's Wildlife.

Another early start and we had high hopes to spot a Leopard the last of the 5.

                                                 Sun rise as we enter the park.

Today we saw lots of Zebra. Often shy..those that are not have been eaten by lions!

                                           The dominant male is very protective of the herd.

The hightight of the day. Mother and a 2 or 3 day old baby walked across in front of us. Wonderful.

                                              Another little hyena pup hiding in a culvert.

Another White Rhino. It is the same colour but has been in a light clay bath. Great for the skin!

                                                 Mr Baboon.

                                  We have been served Kudu steaks! Commercially raised !

                                 
                                                            Another Giraffe.

The Yellow beaked hornbill. The locals call it a " Flying Banana"

We watched a very interest saga played out in front of us. A large group of Impala and various antelope were drinking at a waterhole. Along came three hyenas and the others quickly departed.They in turn were chased away by a herd of elephants and eventually the first group returned.

                                        The Impala and Wart Hogs regain the watering hole.

Still no Leopard at our lunch break..then across the river we spotted a Leopard.  Number 5 at last!

                                          We have better photos that we will share later.

We managed to see lots of new species and had great viewing.

Safari in Kruger

We usually manage to post our blogs very close to the day but it just has not been possible in Africa. It is ages since we were in Kruger National Park so this is the first of the wildlife of Africa.

                             
                                  Our first photo in Kruger. The giraffe is one of our favourites.

                          Wildebeest and Impalas. They keep on the lookout at all times.

Mother and pup. The hyena is one of the most feared animals. This pair were looking harmless but we saw them in different mode as well.

This was the only Klip Klinger that we spotted. It is like a mountain goat.

A White Rhino. Our first of the "Big Five". We did see a lot over the few days in Kruger. They are the same colour as the Black Rhino! The name has nothing to do with colour. White Rhino are grazers whilst the Black Rhino are browsers so the lips and mouth of each species are different. The Black Rhino has a wide mouth for eating grass and early Europeans mistook wide for white!

Our second of the 5. The male is proudly framed whilst the lioness is a little shy. We saw a few on this first day.

 Crocodiles and a Blue Crane. We also saw Hippos at this waterhole that was a bird hide. It was the only time we could get out of our 4 wheel drive as the walk down to the hide was enclosed with a fence. It was a long time between comfort stops.

A Buffalo. Another of the big 5. Over the days in the park we saw lots and large family groups.

The Impala. This seems to be the bottom of the food chain! They call them the McDonald's of Kruger and that is why they have a "Golden Arches" pattern on the rear.

The 4th of the 5.We saw lots with large herds and solitary males. Very majestic and graceful.

                         Down to the river for a drink. The area was in drought. This was a huge group.

                                                    Close enough to give it a pat!

Several times they crossed the road in front of us or wondered across a narrow dirt road demanding the right of way.

Hippos in the water. They spend most of the day in the water but come out at night to feed.

We had a long day departing our accommodation in the dark and stopping for both breakfast and lunch in the park. We had hoped to tick off the "Big Five" but managed 4. We do another drive tomorrow. The park is larger than Wales with thousands of kilometers of roads and tracks.

Going to Kruger National Park

We set off for a long drive to our next destination, Kruger National Park. We had multiple stops at small places along the way. The first one of note was The Three Rondavels, a natural feature that look like local traditional huts. It is part of the Blyde Canyon one of the worlds largest.

                            Looking across the Blyde Canyon to the Three Rondavels

                                                The vertical walls of the Blyde Canyon

                             There were wildflowers in abundance as it is very close to spring.



The Canyon is impressive. We have however found that the South Africans are a little like Texan's.
We knew that they were responsible for Jacarandas and Agapanthus but we have now discovered that we need to add Macadamias, Granny Smith apples and lots more to the list.

At another part of the Canyon we came to Bourke's Luck Potholes to commemorate a failed prospector. This series of potholes and waterfalls is especially impressive in the wet season. We were in the dry season but still a great spot.

     Gail at the waterfalls. It was a sheer drop into a plunge pool at the bottom.

Apartheid memorials

We have traveled to South Africa to visit a number of National Parks and see some of the amazing wildlife....but we also came to respect the struggles against Apartheid.
After spending the first day recovering from the flight and visiting local spots in Johannesburg, we spent today at Soweto. The name synonymous with the struggle for equality is actually derived from SOuth WEst TOwnship. Land was divided up with 92% for whites and 8% for blacks and coloured people.
We came for the same reason that we have visited Auschwitz and other Nazi places of atrocities and Pol Pots death sites. Sad but essential to remind us of man's inhumanity to man.

When the Government set up some housing in Soweto it was substandard.

The dormitory in the centre of the photo was built for 52 single men.

The housing remains very poor but there are also some areas with improved conditions.

We visited Vilakazi street, the only street in the world that has housed 2 Noble Peace Prize winners!
We drove past Desmond Tutu's house but visited Nelson Mandela's. Earlier in the day we also went past his home in his life after coming out of gaol . It was quite a contrast.

                            Rob outside Mandela's home. It is now a museum.

We also visited the Hector Peterson memorial and the site of his death. He was a young boy of 13 who was one of the first to be shot when participating in a peaceful demonstration. Another 600 suffered the same fate that day.

                                         The wall where Hector Peterson was shot.

                                                            The memorial.

                                                      The historic photograph.

After lunch in a happy little Soweto restaurant we spent the afternoon at the Apartheid Museum. To enter you are allocated a status of White or Black and go in under differing conditions.

It traces the long sad struggle with lots of images and movie clips. The sort of place for quiet reflection.

Everyone should visit. All politicians should be made to visit prior to taking office!
We would encourage you to read up a little on this sad part of history.

End of Trip: Edinburgh and Abu Dhabi

About to sign off till our next trip in August.
On our last day in Edinburgh we visited The Mary King Close It is an underground area of houses that was created when the Royal Exchange was built. They constructed a new ground floor level with the Royal Mile. The houses that were underneath were simply closed off.
It provided an insight into life in a previous era and a good setting for ghost stories.

Having complained about the cold for weeks, despite being told constantly what a great day it was, we hit Abu Dhabi. Yes we complained that it is too hot.We achieved our plan. We had a good night's sleep after the first leg of our return flight, had several swims both in the hotel pools and the Arabian Sea and went to The Abu Dhabi Mall. All that is to do is have a few drinks before we go back to the airport for the final leg home.

Despite our weather complaints we were extremely fortunate. Six weeks of travel in Europe and Britain and we didn't need to put on our raincoats or hunt for our umbrellas even once! It is just as well that we packed them!

                                We enjoyed our several dips in the pools and sea.

Holyrood House Edinburgh

Sunday in Edinburgh. We slept in but were soon heading up the hill. We got about 100 metres before being sidetracked into a carpark basement. On level -4 there was a gigantic car boot sale. This is a major Sunday outing. It took ages to walk around. At first we only made small purchases but were seduced into purchasing a huge vase. Not sure how we will get it home!! We returned it to our hotel room, had a cup of tea and headed back up the street. We again got about 100 metres when we decided to stop for a Sunday lunch.
We did finally make it up to the high street and strolled down the hill towards the palace. On the way we stopped at two small quirky museums. The Children's museum was odd. It had all our toys in it! How could that be a museum? There were lots of toys as well that were very British but most of ours were when we were kids! The Edinburgh Museum had an eclectic range of items and didn't have a single focus. The items included silverware, items from Brig. General William Haig, part of the whisky family. To explore the museum you were up and down stairs around corners and this way and that! It was bits and pieces in every way but it was free!

                                                    Perhaps a little before our time!

                                                  Toby jugs in the Edinburgh Museum.

Our main destination was Holyrood House, the official residence of The Queen in Edinburgh. There were no photos inside the palace but it was excellent. The furniture, art works etc were wonderful. Some of the best rooms were Mary Queen of Scots Bedchamber and Anti Room complete with her bed etc, The Evening Drawing Room with the two thrones that had been made for King George V and Queen Mary. His throne was higher, not because of his importance, but because he was only short! The Dining Room was not as immense as some being set for 16 but can be extended for about 30. The Great Hall had the line of Stuarts depicted in paintings. They had been repaired from when the English damaged then. The Kings Bedchamber was another highlight.
Outside we saw the Abbey ruins and the extensive gardens.

                       
                                               At the entry to the Royal Palace.

The Holyrood Abbey was in ruins but very beautiful. They don't build ruins like this today!

                                                           Gail in the Gardens.

                                                   The Garden Guard was splendid!