Kruger NP Day 2 - SA Radio Star
This morning we got a late start because of the late-night game drive and just loving being in Kruger. We got going around 9am when I got the call from Jacaranda FM's radio personality A-rod to schedule my interview. He was quite a character on the night drive, w
e're pretty sure he was drunk. So this morning we sat in the little restuarant with A-rod and two South Africans (who I will henceforth call "The Experts") who had also been on the game drive with us and who had also lived and worked at one of the camps here in Kruger for two years. Needless to say, they had a lot of advice to share. It was fantastic, they gave us some great advice about everything to see and do, and where to go, where we maybe could skip, tons of great insider information. They just couldn't wait to share it all with us. It made me feel like we needed at least 1 week here and not just three days. So after our chat with them, it was time for the radio interview. I was set up, because I told A-rod that we had wanted to go running in the morning, but that it's not allowed. This translated to "stupid american trying to run with the wild animals" on the radio. So when he introduced me, his colleages on the air were like, "I don't know if you know this, but in South Africa, we have dangerous animals and the gates are up there for a reason". So it was fun. The South Africans were listening to it on their car radio while I was giving the interview ten feet away. I really enjoyed it and I got to say how much I loved South Africa, so that's good. You can see pictures/proof of my celebrity status on A-rod's twitter feed, JacarandaARod. You have to scroll down to the July 1st feed to see the picture of us with the SA radio star.
Then it was on to Shingwedzi rest camp, our second stop for our time in Kruger. The speed limit in the park is 40-50kmph which is roughy 25-30mph. You go slow but it's really amazing all the stuff you see. Today alone we've been stopped from crossing a road by an elephant and a pack of zebras. We were about 30 feet away from a huge herd of Cape Buffalo. We saw three crocodiles sun bathing on a rock with 4 turtles.
We've seen lots of beautiful birds and tons of impalas. I think the best part of this park is the role reversal of a zoo. The animals rule in Kruger, and the humans are welcome, but at their own risk. That's why the park and rest camp gates close at sundown, and we can only go out after that on guided game drives. No electric fences or penned in habitats here. I'm excited for the sunset game drive we have tonight. I'm told the animals are most active early in the morning and at sunset. So hopefully we'll see the remaining two of the big five we have left, the leopard and the lion.
Update: Our Afrikaans guide on the sunset drive on Friday night was incredible. He knew everything about every species we saw. He found a chameleon in the dark of night on the side of the road while he was driving. He also spotted two owls, a stick bug and a snake, all on the road, without killing them and he knew tons about each one.
e're pretty sure he was drunk. So this morning we sat in the little restuarant with A-rod and two South Africans (who I will henceforth call "The Experts") who had also been on the game drive with us and who had also lived and worked at one of the camps here in Kruger for two years. Needless to say, they had a lot of advice to share. It was fantastic, they gave us some great advice about everything to see and do, and where to go, where we maybe could skip, tons of great insider information. They just couldn't wait to share it all with us. It made me feel like we needed at least 1 week here and not just three days. So after our chat with them, it was time for the radio interview. I was set up, because I told A-rod that we had wanted to go running in the morning, but that it's not allowed. This translated to "stupid american trying to run with the wild animals" on the radio. So when he introduced me, his colleages on the air were like, "I don't know if you know this, but in South Africa, we have dangerous animals and the gates are up there for a reason". So it was fun. The South Africans were listening to it on their car radio while I was giving the interview ten feet away. I really enjoyed it and I got to say how much I loved South Africa, so that's good. You can see pictures/proof of my celebrity status on A-rod's twitter feed, JacarandaARod. You have to scroll down to the July 1st feed to see the picture of us with the SA radio star.Then it was on to Shingwedzi rest camp, our second stop for our time in Kruger. The speed limit in the park is 40-50kmph which is roughy 25-30mph. You go slow but it's really amazing all the stuff you see. Today alone we've been stopped from crossing a road by an elephant and a pack of zebras. We were about 30 feet away from a huge herd of Cape Buffalo. We saw three crocodiles sun bathing on a rock with 4 turtles.
We've seen lots of beautiful birds and tons of impalas. I think the best part of this park is the role reversal of a zoo. The animals rule in Kruger, and the humans are welcome, but at their own risk. That's why the park and rest camp gates close at sundown, and we can only go out after that on guided game drives. No electric fences or penned in habitats here. I'm excited for the sunset game drive we have tonight. I'm told the animals are most active early in the morning and at sunset. So hopefully we'll see the remaining two of the big five we have left, the leopard and the lion.Update: Our Afrikaans guide on the sunset drive on Friday night was incredible. He knew everything about every species we saw. He found a chameleon in the dark of night on the side of the road while he was driving. He also spotted two owls, a stick bug and a snake, all on the road, without killing them and he knew tons about each one.
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