Last night, we were able to go on a night safari with a driver/gun boy. God bless those gun boys and their .458 caliber rifles. Isaiah got to hold one of the lights
during our safari to help spot wildlife.
I'm pretty sure the temperature dropped from 22 degrees C to 8 degrees C within one kilometer. That's like the lower 70's to the 40's. Brrr...we had our coats and some blankets that were provided. Still yet, being in an open air vehicle, it was cold.
A few highlights: We enjoyed watching the scrub hares zig zag in the road at 70 km/hr. And boy can they jump! We also saw some klipspringer, spotted hyaenas, Chacma baboons, elephants, zebras, Cape buffalo, and a caracal. The greatest highlight of the evening was watching a leopard. We spotted it up in a tree across a dry river bed. We watched him sit in the tree, come down the tree head first, and swagger down the way, then turn and come on over to our side--that would be when we drove off. We were between two elephants for a short bit, too, until one started to look as if he was going to charge.
It was a beautiful night with the most magnificent sky. On the way back, we had Isaiah lie down across our laps under a blanket to keep us warmer. He was a great little heater.
Our gun boy (and Isaiah). Check out those .458 cartridges. He has had to shoot
lots of wildlife for safety reasons. The rifle road right by his side. Easy access!
Our safari boy with his fishin' lure hat.
The zebra before it got dark on last night's safari.
The Chacma Baboons. This area was loaded with them.
You can only see 3 clearly in this photo.
There were babies riding on the backs of others. They are known as "junk riders"-- :)
The OLD Cape Buffalo. Note the deterioration of his horns. They are grumpy, moody beasts. They are NOT known for their trustworthiness.
The back side of one of the hyenas.
Today we rested and hung out together. Isaiah also played with Rebecca, the owner's daughter. She is in the 2nd grade and just delightful. It was neat to watch them run around the secure grounds, actually get IN the pool (BRRR), have water gun fights, talk about their accents, etc. They also played with Rebecca's dog, Chelsey.
Rats, I did not get a picture of Chelsey, the bull terrier.
We were finally able to find some touch up paint today for the rental. Auto body shops here are called panel beaters. Google is not much help when you have never heard of a panel beater. LOL. We also waited in line for over an hour at a bank to get some more money exchanged. While waiting, a small boy enjoyed Isaiah's company.
Tomorrow, we plan to drive back down to Johannesburg/Benoni and hit Blyde River Canyon on the way. Should be a beautiful trip. We hope to get an early start and get to Benoni before dark. Yeah right, we all know how that goes. :)
Our gun boy (and Isaiah). Check out those .458 cartridges. He has had to shoot
lots of wildlife for safety reasons. The rifle road right by his side. Easy access!
Our safari boy with his fishin' lure hat.
The zebra before it got dark on last night's safari.
The Chacma Baboons. This area was loaded with them.
You can only see 3 clearly in this photo.
There were babies riding on the backs of others. They are known as "junk riders"-- :)
The OLD Cape Buffalo. Note the deterioration of his horns. They are grumpy, moody beasts. They are NOT known for their trustworthiness.
The back side of one of the hyenas.
Today we rested and hung out together. Isaiah also played with Rebecca, the owner's daughter. She is in the 2nd grade and just delightful. It was neat to watch them run around the secure grounds, actually get IN the pool (BRRR), have water gun fights, talk about their accents, etc. They also played with Rebecca's dog, Chelsey.
Rats, I did not get a picture of Chelsey, the bull terrier.
We were finally able to find some touch up paint today for the rental. Auto body shops here are called panel beaters. Google is not much help when you have never heard of a panel beater. LOL. We also waited in line for over an hour at a bank to get some more money exchanged. While waiting, a small boy enjoyed Isaiah's company.
Tomorrow, we plan to drive back down to Johannesburg/Benoni and hit Blyde River Canyon on the way. Should be a beautiful trip. We hope to get an early start and get to Benoni before dark. Yeah right, we all know how that goes. :)
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