Hi everyone!
Hope your all well. Apologies for no update in such a long time - we have no internet in camp, but I have finally found a way to upload!
I've had an incredible time so far, the course is fantastiic and I'm learning a huge amount. Here are my backdated blog entries, enjoy!
5th October - Nelpsruit to Selati
The drive from Nelspruit to Selati, our first camp took about 5 hours. We had a guide who drove us and we stopped at a few of the regions key attractions. That there were so many picturesque things to see in such short distance of each other was incredible. Some highlights from the day was seeing the boys all do the the "big jump" at Graskop (a huge swing over the riverine, a bit like a bung jump - if it hasn't of looked so flimsy and unsafe I would have given it a go!); the stunning Lisbon waterfall; a visit to the "Pot holes" (where the water has eroded perfectly rounded holes in the rocks, and where the river Treur meets the River Blyde); Gods window (though it was unfortunately too hazy to see anything) and finally the Three Rondavels - a beautiful mountain/ canyon range and dam.
What a day and we hadn't even set foot in camp yet!
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| Yohanna, Elsa and I at the Three Rondavels |
5th October: Hello Selati Camp!
Our first camp in Selati was nothing that I expected it to be. It is in an absolutely beautiful area, situated along the Selati River (now dry), unfenced in the middle of the Savana. In the river bed there is a volleyball net and court measured out in the sand, and up in the bank a big camp fire area with chairs around ti for the evenings. There is a large kitchen where our cook makes delicious food and a big open thatched classroom - come - dining area. The bathroom are split - males and females - each with three showers, toilets and basins - more than enough for facilities for the 5 girls on this course! There is even hot water (heated by gas), although the shower is a bit tricky to use - it is either boiling hot or freezing cold - I hope getting it right is something I will come to master, though it is a luxury to have any hot water at all!
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| The campfire area at Selati Camp |
Another surprise in camp was that we all thought that we would be sharing tents, but got allocated one each! The tents are huge for one person (approx. 3x3m dome tent), with a mattress and plenty of space for bags. It is also standing height, so it feels very big indeed! They are nicely spaced out - not too far apart to feel totally isolated - but far apart enough to have personal space and to still feel a bit scared when the hyenas call at night!
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| Playing volleyball in the river bed |
I have been really impressed so far with the food we are getting - lots of salads, fruit, fresh meat and even muffins! It is all delicious and far better than i'd ever cook for myself - good to see we are getting good value for our money on the food front. In fact generally we really get far too much - we have tea, coffee and cereal at 5.15am before we go out on activity, a full english breakfast at our return to camp at 10.30am, followed by lunch - usually salad and meat - at 2.30pm, then dinner at 7.30pm - all we seem to do it eat! Its so much that I even had to go for a run this afternoon in the river bed - alas i've found somewhere to exercise :)
The activities and lectures we have been doing have also been fantastic. We do either a walk or drive in the morning, then opposite in the evening, with lectures in between. It is an extremely intensive course - we are either being taught or reading for the entire day - we carry notebooks and reference books on the drives and walks, and often stop for discussions about different things, be it a rock, tree, plant, bird or animal. It is completely overwhelming at this stage seeing how much we need to learn. On top of the theory - names, calls and signs of plants, birds and trees - we also have to learn how to guide and be able to contact the drives and walks ourselves.
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| Selati Camp |
6th October: Encountering giraffe on foot
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| Walking through the bush - we walk for 3hrs everyday |
What a fantastic start to what is clearly going to be an incredible year. Today, on our first evening walk, we were looking at tracks in the river bed about 500m from camp when all of a sudden a huge female giraffe came out of the bushes in front of us, just 30m away from where we were standing. We crouched down immediately, but she had seen us, and stood staring inquisitively for what seemed an age. After about 15 minutes, she moved off, so incredibly graceful for such a huge animal. I have seen many giraffe before on games drives, but seeing one on foot and taking in their sheer size was incredible.
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8th October: Meeting Makumi
Day three in the bush bought something we were all waiting for… a lion sighting. We were on a morning game drive going down South river road, and Angus spotted a huge female lioness walking through the bush. As soon as she saw us, she crouched down low and her ears went flat against her head - a sure sign she was about to charge our vehicle. Margaux (our guide/ trainer) threw the land-rover into reverse and we backed off, enabling the tracker to get off the front and into the back seat - a far safer position! We crawled forward again, and as we did the lioness crossed the track and slinked into the bushes opposite. Her head was huge, easily the biggest lioness I have ever seen, her tracks were bigger than my whole hand! We spent time watching her, Margaux whispering information to us, explaining her behaviour and some interesting facts about lions. Her name was Makumi, one of the lionesses under observation by "Leo" (a lion research group here in Selati). It was an amazing sighting, and very exciting. Unfortunately the other group (we are split into two groups of 6/7) didn't get to see her and were sick with jealousy when we got back!
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| Makumi the lion - she was huge! |
9th October: Our first kill
Well, not "our" first kill, I'm not on that kind of course! Let me be clearer… Not far from camp, the morning walking group were alerted to a disturbance in the bush by diving and squawking vultures, so went to investigate. Through the long grass, shrubs and trees they saw a huge giraffe carcass! Early that morning, two lionesses and a male had taken down an adult female giraffe (hopefully not the same one we saw a few days earlier, that would be sad). The lions were no-where to be seen, and the carcass had instead been taken over vultures who were feasting and fighting between themselves. They reported the kill back to camp, and that afternoon it was my groups turn to check it out. As we approached the area of the carcass, it was deadly silent - hardly the uproar of vultures and disturbance from earlier that day. JP, our guide + trainer, determined that the lions were back at the kill, and was not comfortable walking us closer in. We were all very disappointed, but learnt an important lesson that day to trust your instincts and not approach a situation incase your comfortable. The deadly silence of the bush was a bad omen, and we all decided it was the right decision. We went back instead of foot the next day and got right up to the carcass. It absolutely stank and was covered in maggots - it is incredible how quickly the giraffe had been gutted and stripped and how quickly the decomposition process had got in such a short period of time.
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| L-R: Kobus, George, Henry, JP and Alex posing at the giraffe carcass! |
11th October: White Rhino
HIghlight of the day was undoubtedly the variety and rarity of the game we saw on the evening game drive. Alongside Eland, Kudu and a very cute looking Shrub Hare, we also saw not one, but two species of Jackal; the Black-backed Jackal and Side-striped Jackal. Both were fantastic sightings and it was great being able to compare them. The Side-striped Jackal for example had a white tipped tail and has flatter ears than the Black-backed.
The key sighting of the day however was undoubtably a female white rhino and her calf. Rhino poaching is a major problem in Southern Africa, and Selati Reserve has not gone untouched, despite having a large anti-poaching unit. The female we saw had her horn cut off in an attempt to make her less attractive to poachers - arguably safer, but a terribly sad realisation that this is what it has got too. The sighting never-the-less was incredible though, especially seeing the calf - they were drinking water at Gallon Dam watering hole, and I got some great pics.
Despite seeing such fantastic game since we've arrived, seeing animals has actually formed only a very small proportion of our course. There has been a huge emphasis on ecosystems and tree/plant/grass identifications. We have to learn how to identify the tree/plant/grass by sight, learn key facts about it, any nutritional or medicinal values and any cultural beliefs/ superstitions. The Marula tree for example can be identified using its trunk, which is flaky grey and looks like it has been hit by a golf ball, and it has an imparipinnately compound leaf structure (don't worry, you don't need to understand what that means, just smile and nod). It has red flowers when in season and oval, fleshy green-yellow fruit. It is most famous for the Amarula liquor which is made with the Marula fruit, though the fruit is also used to make jelly, jam and a very potent local beer. The fruit itself has 4x more Vitamin C than oranges, and the nut found inside the fruit is high in Vitamin E - excellent for moisturiser. Culturally, local tribes believe that the sex of an unborn child an be pre-determined if the pregnant mother bathes in an infusion of the leaves and bark of either the male or female Marula tree, depending on which sex of baby they want. PHEW! And that is one tree, now multiply that for the hundreds of tree's in the area, not to mention grasses, plants and flowers!
Bird identification also forms a very important part of the course. We walk and drive around the bush attached to our bird books, ears straining to hear and recognise familiar calls. Again, we have to be able to identify birds by both sight and call. Funny rhymes are made up to help remember them - for example the Cape Turtle dove says "drink lager, drink lager", the orange breasted bushshrike sings "coffee, tea or me" , the red chested cuckoo says "piet-my-vrou" (which apparently means "beat my wife" in Africaans!), the crested francolin sounds like someone having sex on a squeaky bed and the brown crown Tchagra sounds like it is falling out of a tree! Its hugely rewarding when you start to recognise calls and be able to name the bird that made it, but the list of birds we need to know is huge, as well as having to know what they feed on, where they nest, if they migrate and what their reproduction habits are. All together it is a rather daunting and overwhelming task!
12th October: Rain, rain, go away!
I made best friends with my poncho today. Today was the first rain we've had and boy did it pour! It started this morning on our walk - excellent for game spotting as it is cooler and the leaves/branches underfoot are less crunchy, but not so fun getting wet. Luckily I had my trusty poncho in my backpack, which turned out to be an excellent purchase! We're back at camp now and the rain is just getting harder and harder. Everyone keeps dashing back to their tents to check on them and make sure they are not leaking - poor Ed found a waterfall going straight onto his sleeping bag and bed - I am currently dry, though there is a small river running down the hill alongside my tent…think will keep a close eye on that!
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| Me in my excellent poncho and hat! |
PM:
All activities were called off for rest of the day due to the rain and we instead had an afternoon of bird lectures and call practise. I think everyone, very much including myself, is feeling worried about how much we need to learn in such a short space of time - we have our first exam and observation test in just over a weeks time. The instructors have been very encouraging though and said that they are very impressed with our progress, so fingers crossed it will all come together in time.
Off to do some studying now. Its funny how things like paper and pens are becoming valued commodities in camp as we are all beginning to run out!
13th October: Climbing the Kopie
We got a lie in this morning (until 6am, opposed to the usual 4.30am) due to the rain and unpredictable weather, but it stayed dry and we managed to go out on activity. We went for a drive and I had a go at driving the Landrover, which was good fun! I'm afraid to say I did stall a few times - still not used to driving a manual again, and forgot few times that I was in gear when I turned on (we always put the 4x4 in first gear when we turn the engine off because the handbrake doesn't work very well). It wasn't a bad first effort though, and I was complimented at the end :)
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| View from top of the Kopie |
This afternoon we climbed Golland Kopie ( a Kopie is a big rocky outcrop/ hill) - the reserve has a few big Kopies and all look like beautiful places to walk, so we were very excited when we were told that was what the plan was! The terrain was quite tough, but no where near as hard as some of the hills on the otter trail and my legs were well used to doing uphills! The view from top was absolutely stunning, and we could see the whole reserve for as far as the eye could see. It was really cool to see the areas that we had been walking for the past few days from above and get a feel for the layout of the reserve and its key features. We spent some time scanning for Rhino's who are known to occupy the area, and even more time figuring out how the giraffe who had left dung at the top had possibly got up the hillside! We learnt about 4 new tree's, saw two huge giant plated lizards and studied the greater honeyguide bird who was trying to get us to follow him to some honey.
Overall it was a beautiful walk, topped off with an amazing african sunset, made even more picturesque and colourful by the lingering clouds.
P.S. I finally figured out how to use the shower today and modify the temperature correctly…whoo hoo!
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| Another beautiful african sunset! |
15th October: Hello, my name is Michelle and I will be your guide for the day
At the camp, we take it in turns to be on duty and guide for the day. Today, it was my turn, and it started with doing the wake up call, getting all the breakfast things out and putting together the morning coffee and biscuit box. I learnt that some members of the group are terrible at waking up (cough Ed and Kobus), who require you to actually shake their tent before they stir! I felt quite exhausted before the day had even begun. Our morning activity was a game drive and before we set off I had to check that my Land-rover was in good working condition (break and clutch fluid, transmission fluid, water, oil check, tyres, spare tyre etc) and brief my "clients" with the general rules and plan for the morning. "Good morning everyone, my name is Michelle and I will be your guide for the day. Before we set off, I just have a few safety rules to go over with you…PANIC, WHAT HELL WERE THE RULES…MIND BLANK!!! ….and breeeaath…and you'll be relieved to hear that I managed to rattled them off. The drive went quite well - my driving much improved - and I had to stop at things that I thought were interesting and tell my group about them. We discussed elephant signs, a rhino midden, a few trees and birds, the digestion system of the impala etc etc. Given that we've only been in the bush for 10 days, it was quite a daunting task and the exercise definitely pointed out some gaps in my knowledge. It was great fun though, and I really look forward to being able do it knowing everything!
The afternoon comprised a game walk, also led by me, though alongside one of our new trainers at the camp, Rhodes, who had the rifle (we're not allowed to walk with the rifle as we are not trained as trail guides yet). I felt a bit overwhelmed after the drive, though after some kind words of encouragement from JP, I felt better and more confident going into the walk. It went well and we focused predominantly on trees, and Rhodes taught us about the Ant Lion - the larvae of a lace wing who makes a hole in the ground and draws ants into the sand, sucking them in like quick sand and eating them. It was quite gross and made my toes tingle, but very interesting indeed!
I was mightily relieved when my duty day was over and I could hand over to the next person. It was excellent practise and helped me identify which areas to focus on, and despite the stress and worry at not knowing enough, it was really good fun.
17th October: Our first exam
Yesterday was a study day (no activities) as this morning we sat our first EcoTraining exam. It was super stressful trying to cover and revise the huge amount of material we had to know - ecology, botany (tree's, plants, grasses), birds and guiding skills and spent the entire day studying, from 5am-9pm! This morning I was up at 4am cramming some more, though all the hard work paid off and I aced the test with 95%. PHEW.
We got given this afternoon off to have a well deserved break from studying, and Yohanna, Elsa and I turned the ladies bathroom into a small salon and sat on the floor doing our nails, in a face and hair mask, listening to music. We felt quite silly but it was nice to have some time to ourselves - the first free time really since we've started - and do something non nature/camping/guiding related!
P.s. A short word to remember our friend Mike Clark who lost his battle with cancer today. Mike touched many peoples lives and hearts and we will all miss him terribly. RIP Clarky xxx
22nd October: The dreaded Observation test. Oh, and being charged by elephants!
The last few days have been hectic, with walks, drives and study at every hour of the day in preparation for the dreaded observation test. It is one thing being able to define an ecosystem and being able to list species found in particular biomes, but to stand in the bush and be able to identify trees, bird calls, tracks and animal signs as indicated by the instructor is another story!
We spent the activities in the days in the leading up to today focusing mainly on trees and birds with St John ( a volunteer at camp) and the two instructors (Graham and Rhodes) getting us to name every tree we drove past and every bird we heard. I found it exhausting having to be switched on all the time and to have to think constantly! The focus was broken up every now and then by a few exciting sightings, for example the black rhino we saw feeding while we drank our morning coffee!
The observation test itself, despite being really hard, was quite fun. It was the first time that we went out as a whole group. We drove to a spot along the Selati river bed, then went on foot to do the test itself. Graham, Rhodes and St. John pointed out all sorted of things that we had to identify, and made sure we all saw/heard the right thing. There were 70 questions in total, for which we wrote our answers down - no talking allowed! They asked things like "What's that tree? Name two practical uses", "Which bird is calling", or circle a print in the sand and ask who made it. There were a few curve balls, like the baby elephant dung which we all got wrong as it looked like zebra dung, and a terrapin that we all remain was actually a tortoise track - a tortoise has 4/5 dots for their track, a terrapin has 5/5 - we all thought we saw 4/5, but got it wrong - the reasoning being it was coming from water so had to be a terrapin. Hmmm. I ended up with 80% which was good, though only middle of the class - it certainly highlighted areas I need to work on, or at the very least specific trees and tracks! But it worked well as a learning tool too, and I definitely won't forget the things I got wrong!
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| The elephant that charged us - thanks Marianne for the photo! |
It was an absolutely terrifying encounter, especially being the driver and knowing that you are responsible for the lives of all the people in your vehicle, but I loved every second of it, and it was such a great experience to be able to have during training. We stopped pretty soon after that and had a well deserved drink, and my heart rate and trembling hands finally calmed down.
This is Africa!!
25th October: Bumping into the breeding heard and other exciting animals
Its been a fun few days, especially as the focus of the course has begun to shift from trees to mammals. The day after our exciting elephant charge, we had incredible luck with game viewing and saw a black rhino on the morning drive, followed by two female white rhino's and their calves later that afternoon. Just after moving off from the white rhino sighting, we stumbled across the same elephant breeding heard we had seen the day before, but this time we were some way off, and we could see the entire heard of over 20 elephants, feeding and drinking in the open river bed. We stopped and had our sundowners on the bank and studied them through binoculars - a much nicer way to see them, and were able able to study their natural behaviour and movements. It topped off a fantastic day (though my camera died two pictures into the elephant sighting, I was so frustrated), and another incredible day in africa.
Today (25th), we had to all do a 10 minute presentation as part of our EoTraining final mark. I chose to do mine on the African tree squirrel, which was a rather bizarre choice of topic, but it is an animal that we see on a daily basis and I thought it would be helpful to know more about them! My presentation went well, and I even got in a joke about squirrels and nuts which received a laugh from the audience. This evening I think everyone is feeling rather drained, so we're all off to sit around the fire and have a braai. Its a tough life I know.
27th October: Pain in the eye
Oh dear, first "injury" of the trip. Following three days of pain and irritation, I was marched off into "town" to find an eye specialist. After two rather useless encounters - a pharmacist who knew nothing about eye drops and an optician who arrived in tracksuit bottoms, a nike t-shirt and flip flops - it was third time lucky and we found the brilliant Dr. Thompson, Ophthalmologist extraordinary in Tzaneen. He diagnosed me with a cornea infection, which was better than my initial worry that I had blinded myself with the poisonous Tamboti tree sap (a definite possibility), but arguably still not great. So now I am haunched up in my tent quite literally up to my eye balls with drops and medication, and feeling very sorry for myself having had to miss both game drives today! Am on strict doctors orders to return for a check up on Monday, but hopefully this will all clear up sooner rather than later.
On the plus side I got to have a Whimpy burger in Tzaneen today and buy some chocolate for everyone in camp, so now I am really popular haha.
Missing everyone loads, and thinking of all my friends in Dubai and London especially, who are attending Clarky's funeral tomorrow. I will be with you all in spirit.
Lots of love to you all xxx
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| Learning in the bush - we never go out without our notebooks! Here, we are learning about dungbeetles |
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| One of the Nyala's that frequents our camp everyday |
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| The black Rhino we saw |
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| One of the huge lion prints - it was bigger than my hand! |
