The brief for this week’s photo challenge is to post photos of people unaware of the camera. Here is my contribution to A Face in the Crowd
Feeding the ducks and swans with Granny
Italian Men Bonding
Farmer’s Market – Salerno
Lungomare Salerno
A family on a narrow boat in England
The annual Two Oceans Marlin Tournament took place in Struisbaai between 12 and 18 February 2018. As always the success of a tournament such as this is weather dependent. The boats might or might not land a marlin so to make the competition more interesting prizes for the heaviest bi-catch would be awarded.
Twenty Five boats from all over the country took part. Each team was presented with a goody bag at the opening function on Sunday 11 February.
I tried to get as many photographs of the boats as I could but some came in too late and some stayed out overnight. Apologies to those who have been left out!
The competitors only got to sea three out of the six days due to poor weather and sea conditions. However, nothing dampened their spirits and there was a great deal of camaraderie and catching up with old friends.
And as boys will be boys there was some mischief afoot and the deviants had to ‘pay’ for their misdemeanours. Each evening the ‘wrongdoer’ would be named and shamed and called the ‘idiot of the day.’ He would then be subjected to the snuff sniffing punishment followed by downing of a shooter. A fine was also levied upon him!
Preparing for the snuff sniff – a hammer will strike the contraption and snuff will go up the nose – Close your eyes as it can really sting!
You were warned!
Over the six days there were several ‘idiots’ who gave everybody else a good laugh and were great sports about the resultant ragging.
Thanks to Marinda and her team, the most amazing meals were provided to all involved in the tournament. The incredible bar assistants also kept their sense of humour and managed the demanding masses with smiles and kindness. Thanks too, to Elsa for all the record keeping.
Marinda and team
Bar attendants
Elsa our very efficient Club Secretary receiving a bouquet from Club Captain – Hubert
Each evening there was something different happening. On the auction night, money was raised for a past member’s deceased estate, The NSRI and Suidpunt Deep Sea Angling Club. Thanks to all who made such generous bids on the rods, reels, wines and Garmin watches.
Making a bid
Everyone was supposed to dress up for the Hawaii Evening and some did. However, Kosie was the outright winner in his amazing outfit.
He also joined in the spirit of the evening when the dancing girls appeared.
All good things come to an end and after a great week of fun and fishing the prizes were handed out on Saturday evening. The Marlin trophy was unfortunately not won but thanks to the incredible sponsors everyone got prizes for their participation, their by catch or team spirit. Well done to all the fishermen for going out there and trying to hook a big one!
Prizes were presented as follows:
Andre Swart – Kind of Magic – 10 Year participation in The Two Oceans Marlin Tournament
Met Eish – Last Year’s 10 Year Trophy
Tony Dalton – Camaraderie Trophy
Certificates were presented to:
Trevor Brinch vir sy volgehoue ondersteuning en werk om see veiligheid te handhaaf. (for his continuous support and work in maintaining safety at sea.)
Davy Schemuder for “dedication and hard work towards safety at sea”
Prizes were awared to:
Bi Catch First Prize – Piet Steyn Marias from Multi – vir ‘n Geelvin Tuna van 14.93kg. (An Arniston Voucher plus some oil)
Bi Catch Second Prize – ET – Kuduro – Geelvin Tuna – 11.16kg (Black Oystercatcher Voucher and Oil)
Bi Catch Third Prize – Kobin Koch – True North – Geelstert van 7.45kg (Malgas Hotel Voucher and Oil)
Sunseeker II – Five strikes and 1 Hookup (Big Catch Voucher + Cooler Box)
John Graeme – Hook Up – (Big Catch Voucher and cooler Box)
Hard Luck Prize to Gareth – Team Tyler for out of Comp Fish (Voucher)
Hard Luck Prize to Koos Pretorious – Team Osprey for 1 recorded strike and 1 out of comp striped Marlin. (Big Catch Voucher)
Best Spirit prize of the book Rugby Vasvrae – awarded to Team Capetonian, Team Kuduro and Jac van Niekerk, Dudley Rosslee, Bruce – D’Stress and Team Catitude.
Without the following sponsors The Two Oceans Marlin Tournament would not be possible. A Huge Thank you to them all.
This week’s Fun Photo Challenge from Cee calls for pictures of anything beginning with Z. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is Zebra.
Part of the challenge includes photographs of ‘catching zzzs’
Lazy Lion
Sleeping Puff Adder found in our Kgalagadi Camp!
Went straight back to sleep when he was caught and put under a distant tree!
A very comfy position to sleep in
Here is my contribution to The Questions on Cee’s Share Your World this week
Are you a practical jokester?
No, I am not and I don’t like practical jokes at all. They’re silly and it makes me uncomfortable to see somebody being the victim of a practical joke. – Okay – sometimes they’re funny – but not for the person who is being pranked! As my grandson would say – It might be fun for you but it’s not for me!
Who cuts your hair? You, a friend, or professional.
I have my hair and nails done professionally. I just make a mess of it if I do it myself. I also refuse to cut anybody else’s hair – much to my husband’s disgust. When we lived in Cape Town our daughter used to cut his hair regularly. I just get grumpy if I have to do it so I make him go to my hair stylist!
Did you have a stuffed animal when you were a kid, if so what kind?
Yes I had a proper teddy bear when I was little – I have no idea what happened to it. When my daughter was nine she received a Paddington Bear from my brother. She still has it twenty-nine years on.
What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
I hugely appreciate the girls morning my friend Perci and I had on Saturday. We went to a food market in Napier, visited quaint, crafty shops and home decor stores that neither of our hubbies would have appreciated.
She helped me pick out some cushions for my lounge suite and we just had some lovely girl fun. That day I smiled a lot and we had great fun!
This is my contribution to this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday
Use Tail, tale or both.
A wet nose pushes into the back of my knee as I stand preparing salads at the counter. She’s come in silently and when I turn, her tail wags gently from side to side. “Hello, Shonga,” I bend down to pat her. “So where’s Andrew?”
He slips in after her, big grin on his face. Shonga had heralded his arrival. It’s been several months since she’s last st seen us but she’s not forgotten and is eager to re-investigate familiar surroundings. She makes herself right at home. She knows where she is to sleep and jumps right up onto the bed prepared for her comfort. She looks at me appealingly. “Yes – your water bowl is right here too,” I say filling it and placing it before her. She drinks thirstily, tail wagging again.
Shonga is definitely Andrew’s best friend. He has proper conversations with her. She cocks an ear, looks right at him and understands every word. Sometimes she speaks dog right back to him and he understands her too. “I’m going to visit Gawie, Shonga. Do you want to come?” She yips in the affirmative and heads straight to the car.
He tells a tale of some mischief she’d been up to and she gets an embarrassed look on her face and droops her tail in case she’s once again reprimanded for her misdemeanor. “Don’t worry, Shonga,” Ands reassures her, “I’m just telling a tale from the past. Remember when you rolled in that cow dung?” She looks away, tail between her legs.
“Give her a Beeno,” says The Earl. Ears prick up, tail begins to wag and she’s all high spirits again.
Welcome to Struisbaai, Andrew and Shonga!
Shonga
Here is my contribution to this weeks Black and White Challenge from Cee
I have chosen two animal pattern photographs
Spotty leopard
Stripy Zebras
And two fabric patterns
Thai Cushion Cover
Owl patterned scarf
Here is my take on this week’s oddball challenge from Cee
Love these garden statues I saw at a local coffee shop
This weeks Fun Photo Challenge from Cee requires that the photograph posted begins with Y or ends with Y.
Yellow-billed Duck
Yellow-billed Hornbill
Yellow-bellied Greelbul
Yellow-throated Longclaw
Mommy and Baby Monkey
Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Cee
I have been away for three months and have not participated regularly in Cee’s Share Your World. I’m trying to get back into routine – so here goes.
What would be your ideal fantasy way to spend Monday?
Monday is supposed to be the most dreaded day of the week. However, I never minded them when I was a working woman. To me it meant another fresh start to a new week and I was usually keen to get going with all the things that needed to be done with my ever-eager (I hope) class! My advice to young people deciding on what to do with their lives is to choose something they’re going to like – because you have to do it for a very long time!
But now I am in fantasy land! Retired and able to plan my day as I choose. Sometimes I’m not even aware of what day of the week it is! Ha – so what is my favourite way to spend a day? Bird watching is my first choice. I had a whole month of that in Kruger National Park in November and then another two weeks in January – so I’ve had my fill. Another great way to spend Monday would be actually to just be on my own, with my computer, undisturbed to get my photographs edited and PowerPoint presentations made. I’m working on it but there are always interruptions! Not that I mind. I have very little to complain about!
What one person that you are out of contact with would you like to say thank you to?
I’m in contact with everyone I want to thank and I hope I have thanked them for what they mean to me in my life. I do miss those who have gone forever though. But I’m pretty sure that wherever they are they know that I think of them and miss them every day.
List your favorite toys or games as a kid?
My brother took my favourite clockwork clapping doll apart because he needed to know how it worked. Well perhaps it’s only my favourite in retrospect because I was mad at him for breaking it. But I forgave him because my parents said he had an inquiring mind, and that was a good thing for a boy, and that one day he would learn a lot of technical things and know how to fix toys for his own kids. Yes – well – they were right of course. No – joking aside – I can’t really remember being attached to any one toy. There were favourite games and activities though. I loved the swing which hung from a tree in my grandmother’s garden and it was the best when my Uncle Tony pushed me higher than was possibly safe! Endless games of Monopoly with my siblings and cousins in the Winter School Holidays were also enormous fun. I just wish the kids today could have the freedom we had when we were young – we climbed the mountain behind our house without adult supervision , went to the beach on our own, rode our bikes everywhere and didn’t have a care in the world. Our parents only had a vague idea where we were and as long as we were home in time for dinner nobody really worried. My own children never had that freedom.
What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel fee to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
I smiled because I had a great holiday. I smiled because it was good to be back home. I smiled when we reunited with friends we hadn’t seen for months. I smiled when we met new friends who had the same surname as ours! I freaked when I saw my garden was both dry and overgrown but I smiled again when it was quickly sorted out.
A few people have asked me how to go about organising a Sanparks holiday and how much it costs. This depends on the type of accommodation you choose, whether you self-cater or eat in restaurants and whether you self-drive or book guided tours and walks.
Below I give some tips based on our own personal experience.
When planning your trip get hold of a map of the park you wish to visit. If you don’t have a paper version you can download info from this link which will give you options to download gate times, the distance between camps, detailed maps of each section of the park and suggested routes. It is very comprehensive.
Decide how many days you wish to stay and which camps you wish to stay at. Check in time is 2 pm Check out is 11 am. Remember that the maximum speed limit on tar roads is 50 km /hr and on dirt 40 km/hr. Bear in mind that while travelling between camps you will want to stop to look at game so factor in time for this. We try not to travel more that 120 km between camps. I recommend three to four days at each camp, depending on how long you are staying. It’s best not to spend less than two nights per camp.
To Book your accommodation go to the Sanparks website
Click on the Where to Stay tab Choose Accommodation Availability
Click on the Park of your choice – EG Kruger National Park Then choose Main Rest Camps
A list of camps will drop down. Choose a camp to browse and then click on the tab Browse by Calendar Month
You will clearly see the availability of each type on accommodation on the calendar. Each type will be marked with a number e.g. EH3 Click on this and you will be shown all its features and fees.
You can book online but I use the site to check availability, write down what I want and then PHONE central bookings. +27 (0) 12 4289111 OR +27 (0) 11 6788870
This is the easiest and quickest way to do it as you get confirmation immediately. You will be sent an email with your provisional booking and a date by which you must pay the deposit and the final amount. You will be sent another email confirming your booking when you pay the deposit. Then another one when final payment is made. Payment can be made by EFT or Credit Card.
REMEMBER School holiday times become booked up very quickly and you need to book eleven months in advance if you want to go during those times. It is easier to get accommodation out of school holidays. Be aware that Kgalagadi Trans-frontier Park gets booked up very quickly in season and off season. Always book 11 months in advance for KTP.
All the rondawels/bungalows/chalets are serviced daily. Some are fully equipped, some partially, so always check. Some have kitchen and bathroom. Some have only kitchen and you have to use the ablutions. If you self-cater it is best to bring your own favourite knives. Pots and pans are usually okay but you might want to bring a pan to cook breakfast at picnic sites.
Accommodation
There are different types of accommodation and it depends on your preference what type you should book. In Kruger the following is available – but not at all camps. So check it out first.
You can camp and most sites accommodate caravans and/or tents. Addo elephant park has smaller sites for tents and bigger ones for caravans. Most have power. Rustic camps have no power.
Huts are rustic. You need to use the communal kitchens and ablutions. They sleep up to up to three people.
Permanent canvas Safari Tents on permanent platforms are really cool. The best ones are at Lower Sabie Camp in Kruger National Park. Some have communal kitchen and communal ablution facilities, while others are fully equipped and are quite luxurious and comfortable. They cost about the same as a bungalow.
Single bedroom bungalows sleep two and have a bathroom. Some have communal kitchens while others have own kitchenettes with basic kitchen equipment.
Single bedroom cottages have a living room, bathroom and kitchen.
A family cottage has multiple bedrooms with a living room, bathroom and kitchen.
A guest cottage has multiple bedroom at least 2 bathrooms of which one is en-suite. The kitchen is fully equipped
A Guest House has multiple bedrooms and bathrooms with lounge area and often with bar facility and exclusive view.
Then there are Luxury Lodges which I have no experience of. They are expensive and cater to the guests every need. They’re great if you don’t want to self cater or self drive. A guide will take you on at least two game drives per day.
Prices for self-catering accommodation are really reasonable. Below I have quoted current costs in Kruger National Parks for some types of accommodation. Other parks could be cheaper or more expensive. Check the website for more information.
Caravanning in The Kruger National Park is fun
This bungalow had an equipped outdoor kitchen
This one is slightly different but also with an outdoor kitchen
Kruger National Park: Our grandson, Jay helping Grandpa with the braai outside our family cottage at Pretorious Camp in 2012
Kruger National Park – Outside our Skukuza Family Cottage, Jay had to braai in the rain!
What a fine job he did – He was 15 then!
This cottage had a lovely indoor dining area
Travelling Costs
The next thing you need to consider are the distances you will travel in the park on game drives each day. Work on about 140 km per day. Of course you don’t have to do long distances but the park is big and there is a lot to see. Doing the distance means you’re more likely to see interesting sightings.
Self-catering is cheapest but you can get good meals in the restaurants. We do a combination of both. We usually eat breakfast at a picnic site restaurant but sometimes cook our own. We might have one or two dinners at a restaurant but mostly we braai or cook at our campsite.
Most of the Kruger camps have a well-stocked shop. However, most meat is frozen. The last time we visited we found they had most of what we needed in the way of fresh vegetables but there is not a wide variety. Fresh fruit was also available. It is more expensive than shopping before you come into the park. We usually shop in Nelspruit before we enter then top up as we need from the Park Shops.
Even when staying in bungalows I pack a separate box or basket with basic crockery and utensils. This stays in the car, readily available for picnics as you cannot take the crockery from the bungalow if you are travelling between camps.
My Picnic Box has the following
A separate cooler box gets packed with the food for a day out in the park. Some picnic sites in The Kruger National Park have restaurants and a shop where you can get reasonably priced breakfasts, lunches and snacks. You can also hire a skottel to cook breakfast on or you can braai. In the Kgalagadi we take a portable stove for cooking breakfast.
Breakfast cooked on a Skottel
Cooking breakfast in The Kgalagadi – Melkvlei Picnic Site
Picnicking at Nossob
So what does a Game Park Holiday in South Africa cost per day? If you self-cater and self-drive and stay in bungalow accommodation I would work on about R900 per person per day for all costs.
If you are camping I would work on R400 per person per day.
Remember that the parks also charge a daily conservation fee. These fees vary from park to park. If you are South African you pay a lot less than overseas visitors. The best thing for everyone to do is to purchase a Wild Card.
Click on the link above to see how this works. Even if you are only going to do a short 7 day trip to The Kruger National Park it is worth purchasing a Wild Card. I have an All Cluster for family and it costs R1 140. This card gives me free access to all National Parks in South Africa for a year. The daily conservation fee in Kruger is R82 per adult. If my hubby and I stayed in the park for 7 days our conservation fee would come to R1148. In November we were there for a month. Without the Wild Card our conservation fees would have been R4592. We also visited other parks during 2017 and did not need to worry about the conservation fees.
It is well worth purchasing a Wild Card even if you are a foreign national. The fees for foreigners are far more expensive so get a Card for R 2430 for an individual, R 3800 per couple or R 4545 for a family. Daily conservation fees for foreign nationals would be R 328 per day. These fees are until end October 2018
Prices quoted for accommodation and camping are approximate. They may differ from park to park and camp to camp. Rates will go up at different times of the year. Check website for more accurate details.
Here is my contribution to Nancy’s Photo a Week Challenge
This week’s prompt is “Look Up'”
Look up to see a yellow-billed hornbill looking up
Look up at the Kgalagadi Sky
Look up in a Cathedral in Italy
16 January 2018
We left Berg en Dal just after 6:00 am yesterday morning. It is only a half hour drive to Malanane Gate where we would exit so we put on our seat belts and did not expect to see anything exciting on our way out. But The Kruger shows you what she want to show you and on this day she wanted to bid us farewell! The first sighting to raise our sober mood was a rhino. We could look back and see it well but didn’t take photographs as it was difficult to reverse with a caravan in tow.
Next up a really big bull elephant.
He seemed to be smiling at us – “Come back soon – promise I won’t chase you again!”
Even a small pond is good enough to quench an early morning thirst
While were saying our goodbyes to Big El, Shan yelled – Hyaena!
He crossed the road behind us, clearly on a mission.
It was difficult to get a good shot
But on the other side he turned to look at us
And grinned his farewell
We arrived at Midmar Dam Nature Reserve at 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon and booked into a rustic cabin for the night. A little later today we will meet Lauren and Alan for breakfast and then I will go with them to take Shan to St John’s. Simon and Earl will go ahead to Kokstad.
What a privilege it was to have spent these two weeks with our grandchildren. There were things that freaked them out about us and things that freaked us out about them but we tolerated each others inadequacies with teasing, joking and laughing and it was awesome. It was an extraordinary bonding time that I feel has drawn us all closer to each other. They are well on their way to being grown up so having had this time before Gran and Grandpa are no longer fun to be with was really special.
At Supper I asked the kids what their holiday highlights were
Simon: (Who sat up front) Yelling ‘stop!’ when I saw something and my deaf Grandpa carried on driving so I had to hit him with Roger (the stuffed monkey) to get him to pay attention!
And Simon was the best spotter and got the most points – so it was important to stop when he saw something!!!
Shannon: The leopard and the hyaena sharing a meal – because everyone believes they’re mortal enemies and yet even though food is their number one priority they were prepared to share which means we as humans do not understand how animals think at all. If they can show tolerance then so should we.
Grandpa: Scaring the shit out of the kids when the elephant came toward us! No I’m joking it was just having them with us.
Gran: Bonding with the kids was awesome and like Shan I was really was blown away by the leopard and hyaena sharing the zebra kill.
My wish for all four of my grandchildren is that they will continue to enjoy the wild until they are old like us. Being in the bush is so good for the soul.
Diary of an Adventurous Retiree 