Safari Day 1: Hitting the high road to the lowveld of Hazyview

Johannesburg to Hazyview (South Africa)

The main goal today was to chew up those kilometres from south to north. We were away on time heading out on the first 200 kms of a highway followed by 200 kms of what we would call a sealed country road that was filled with potholes. But no worries at either end of the journey for our new little safari family in the steady hands of @Louis who somehow seems to know every turn in the road, every lookout point, tree, animal and story of significance along the route.

The kilometres just melted under the wheels of @Magogo as there was a steady stream of commentary from @Louis which was a combination of knowledge sharing and response to loads of questions from everyone. Needless to say, as with any little road trip, there were not only loads of laughs but also plenty of snacks and treats to keep starvation at bay. As @Louis pointed out "sharing is caring."

Best of all through - was the meticulous planning by @Louis of the schedule for toilet stops! Wth four women on board this is almost a priority. And he was spot on - already "bladder - tuned" there weren't any unscheduled stops! 

#Magogo, @Louis and #TheSafariHat

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

It was a little bit of a Tetris maze to get the day started - luggage had to find its spot in the trailer intermingled with all the camp cooking gear and provisions for supplies, but the challenge was met and everyone took up a comfy position in #Magogo and we were away on schedule after meeting our first two challenges which occurred right in the carpark.  "Stepping up" to board #Magogo by somehow hoisting yourself into the vehicle was the first - I'm telling you it was not a pretty sight - there was a little bit of assistance needed from behind - I was a little embarrassed but I am happy to report fewer hands were needed  "from behind" as the day progressed. Have to say that @Gill provided us all with a good natured giggle later in the day when she thought she would add weights to the workout and tried to step up with her backpack on - that was a good heads-up for us all. @Gill doesn't shy away from a challenge and made it! The second was a tricky little manoeuvre to to get the vehicle out of the tight squeeze of the gates of the #Willow Inn without jack knifing the trailer. With precision driving from @Louis and great guidance from @Steve as the "spotter" we were away right on the dot of 8 am.

On safari

Some reflections from the day:

- headed east from Benoni to Belfast, veered north to Dullstrom, found Sabie for lunch. went through Long Tom pass and down to the lowveld to Hazyview

- landscape constantly changing from urban areas  of Benoni (housing, shopping malls, businesses - with the addition of secured fencing and barbed wire); into the sadness of the tin lean toss of the townships, the constant scar of mining for diamonds, gold, coal and an endless stream of minerals; the low clear grass lands of the cold biomes as the elevation increased;  acres and acress of planted forests; and finally the spectacular mountain escarpments,  sheer cliffs, and the shimmering valleys and plains of the Drakensberg. It was a drive of contrasts.

- the haze of settlement was both pervasive and persistent. The impact of the high population density and tight survival conditions in the townships combined with mining and predominance of coal and coal fired power stations and no doubt the prevailing winter weather mean that the smog persists in both distance and duration

- a constant stream of people on the highways - the white minivan "taxi" is the main form of public transport - and as well as carrying 20+ people in the 12-16 seater van, they tow overloaded trailers - I mean OVERLOADED. @Louis shared that sometimes you can see livestock tied on the top of the roof! What it translates to is lots of broken down vehicles (sometimes driven without a steering wheels - use a "wrench" in its place) on the side of the road waiting for assistance - broken axles, flat tyres, over balanced ..... all in evidence multiple times on our trek today. And people, in the middle of nowhere, all seem to be wearing a beanie and carrying a plastic bag, are just "walking."

- it is handy travelling in a small group - lots of sets of eyes on the road looking for, spotting and sharing different highlights - means we can have eyes in every direction. We are on the main highway and saw loads of what we would call "domestic" animals so it was a really exciting when we had to slow down to give way to a baboon that was making its way across the highway - and this solo crosser was supervised by a troop of baboons sitting on the hills supervising his/her progress! Lots of excitement.

- first toilet/coffee stop (depends on your preference) was at a servo with a difference (i need to find out where this was ....) and it was packed with a Sunday Father's Day crowd. The complex included shopping and food choices arranged on a knoll overlooking a plains area that was home to hippos, buffalo, zebra, antelope (?) and sable. The toilets were designed so that you could enjoy the view of the animals: men could stand at the urinals and gaze out at the herds - the ladies could get a similar view from the hand washing area. What a great idea for @Liz and @Ros at #Rusty's - a few kangas maybe!

- visted Dullstrom which was a great little place to stretch the legs and take a stroll through the art and craft shops (resisting buying any souvenirs @Jenny although @Roz did find a new addition for her home) but opted to push on to Sabie for lunch at craft brewery

- climbing, climbing climbing today (reached 2160 m - ears popping on some sections and marvelling at the stories of the crossing of the mountains and imagining this long haul in ox drawn wagons and of course even on foot

- visited Perry's Reptile Park to round out the travel and tapped into @Louis's passion for reptiles - he LOVES them  and of course that is "win win" for us cause we get to tap into his knowledge of all things that slither, wriggle and crawl. Mind you the two monster crocs were not doing much wriggling in the late afternoon as the sunset put on a perfect show for us to round out the afternoon.

Worth a retell

There is so much that happens in a day - I am at a loss to be able to capture it all - I have my notes of course, but the language, spelling and pronunciation all mean I am a little light on in detail but do want to tease out a couple of little highlights.

a. The clatter and clang of metal on bitumen:  we were motoring on nicely when @Del heard a "clang" and then noted a lady in a car accelerating up beside us and then waving wildly. @Louis pulled over and had a chat with the driver who reported that a cylindrical something about half a metre long with a fat flat end had come hurtling from our vehicle into her pathway. She indicated where it had happened and it coincided with the "clang" that @Del had heard. A quick inspection revealed that nothing was "obvious" but @Louis said we needed to "do ourselves a favour" and "check it out." This involved making a u turn on a divided dual carriageway - but with care and stealth he adroitly took us back and we were all on spotter duty. And can you believe it - as we slowly progress on the verge of the road MyHero @Mac yelled "I see something - it's a long metal piece." Hazard lights on and stopped - out jumps @Louis to retrieve it - and it is a supporting strut from the trailer - the bit you wind down to rest the trailer on when it is not hooked to the vehicle. Miracle upon miracle - first of all that the lady was not hurt in the following vehicle and secondly that we found it! 

b. When is a gin not a gin: well I guess you could say when it is tonic water. Got a good laugh out of this one and think it is going to last for a few days. Apparently we do need to try the gin in South Africa because the tonic mix contains quinine and hellps protect against malaria (good reason).  We have been noticing ads and billboards and references to gin and the group has been talking about purchases. @Del and @Steve thought they had hit the jackpot today with a 6 pack - beautifully packaged in gold wrapping - all different coloured little mini mixed cans hinting at perhaps different botanicals. They returned to #Magogo very proud of their purchase - only to have @Louis inform them they had actually purchased "just" tonic water - the cans contain NO GIN at all! Rookie mistake - we will get the gin tomorrow.

c. Sharing dinner with the hippos: after all it is called Hippo Valley so would you expect anything less. Well to be candid I didn't "really" expect to be dining with the hippos (mind you if we don't stop over indulging with our three very square-very big meals a day - I might be a hippo at every meal coming up.) But there we were - comfortably set up in the beautifully appointed dining room enjoying dinner and one of the hosts comes over and whispers to @Louis that the hippos are out. And there they were - on the other side of the glass wall emerging from the river to graze. What massive mighty creatures. Right there. Free to roam and free to graze. Now doubt about it - we are in Africa. WOW.

Oh BTW, Happy Father's Day today in South Africa - think @Mac enjoyed his special day.

Accommodation: Hippo Hollow Guesthouse - it is a conference and convention centre that features a series of "chalets" in a garden setting. Each chalet is "free standing" - think your own little granny flat - king size bed with double glass vista doors with views into the garden, outside balcony, inside seating, desk, kitchenette and a double shower in the bathroom. Loved it. The dining hall is high ceilings, glass, timber, hippo murals and features, the staff are oh so attentive - wonderful.

Wildlife and animal spotting: 

Domestic: prolific sightings of hunting dogs, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats

In the wild: springbok, a congress (or troop) of baboons, hippos

In captivity: buffalo, zebra, hippo, sable, antelope (?)

What's on the menu: breakfast was courtesy of @Cecelia at Willow Inn and lunch was in a brewery at Sabie – complete with a “flight” of craft beers. @Mac got his dose of fish and chips and I scouped up some butternut pumpkin soup. Dinner was a lavish affair at #Hippo Hollow – fabulous dining space, great menu, incredible service AND a dash of hippos grazing to round the evening out.

Weather: a cool start in Johannesburg at 10 degrees and heated to a warm 24 throughout the day. No thermometer needed - the gradual progression of stripping off layers of clothing is the perfect indicator of the the changes throughout the day

Steps: 10 751 - not bad given how much time was spent driving

Transport: 8 am departure, 4.30 pm arrival - 400 km

Google Maps Day 1 Safari: Johannesburg to Hazyview (not our exact route - a generalisation)

FROM WIKIPEDIA

"Hazyview is a sub-tropical farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa, renowned for its large banana and macadamia nut industries, contributing about 20% of South Africa's bananas and 30% of macadamia output. Bordering the Kruger National Park, the town's name is derived from the shimmering haze that occurs during the heat of summer. Most of the province of Mpumalanga's private game reserves are found just east of Hazyview."

As you know - some blog posts are prone to poetic licence :)